Don't Accept Defeat
by KittyCatKate
Summary: Valerie Viche was once a young girl, who barely had to worry about many things, especially life threatening. She never believed that her life would one day fall apart in minutes. After watching her home world get destroyed, she sets out on a journey with Sora, Donald and Goofy to find her little sister. As she faces hardships, she'll try not to accept defeat. {SoraxOc later on}
1. Prolouge

**DISCLAIMER: ****I do not own anything in the Kingdom Hearts universe. The only thing I do own is my original characters. So no touchy!**

**Published as of: February 21st, 2015  
Re-written as of January 19th, 2017**

* * *

She was in a forest.

She didn't know how, she didn't know why, but she was. Her eyes had opened, and she gazed at the tress that loomed above her. The night sky greeted her, the stars oddly not present, leaving a gloomy, almost ominous, atmosphere.

Her hands clenched, and she felt the familiar sensation of a bow within her grasp. The dirt clung to her hands, and leaves pulled at her hair, but she felt oddly peaceful.  
_  
"Arise, young_ one."

The calming, alluring voice called out to her, eliciting a gratifying feeling of comfort. She wanted to hear more of it.

She did as she had been told, rising to her feet as her head oddly swayed for the first few seconds. She clutched her bow tighter, the silver handle feeling right in her grasp. The forest was silent; it was still. There were no crickets, there were no chirps. No rustling of leaves and no crying of the wind. Just quiet.

"There is no need to be frightened,"

the alluring voice spoke, immediately calming her from her nervous state._ "I am here for you."_

She found her voice. "Who are you?" she questioned, holding her bow tighter.

"My name is of no importance,"

the voice spoke, amusement seeming to follow.

She frowned. "Then why am I here?"

The voice chuckled. _"You are a curious one, aren't you?"_ She wasn't sure if it was a compliment or an insult. _"I have brought you here because you are needed."_ The words seem to have lost the light humor they had only moments ago. _"The world will soon require all the help it can get." _

She raised an eyebrow, curiosity overwhelming the dawning apprehension she was feeling. "Me? What could I do to help?" She frowned, adding to her confusion. "And _why _would I need to help?"

There was a silence, and she almost panicked as the thought of the voice leaving her arose in her brain, until the the voice spoke, softer than it had before, _"A darkness had begun to spread across the land. People will need you." _

She frowned again. "But... why _me_? I'm nothing special."

The voice chuckled once again. _"Oh, dear Valerie. You are worth so much more than you think you are. You only need to believe so."_ She thought it was rather cliche and cheesy, but she didn't want to say anything. "_But back to the topic at hand; the darkness." _

The word seemed to stem a fright in her. She held her bow to herself tighter, eyes darting around the forest clearing quickly. She felt like eyes were watching her, studying her. She felt unsafe and scared. _"But do not fret; for there is always a light within the dark."_

Was there? It didn't seem so.

The forest seemed colder. A cloud of cold air left her mouth in uneven pants. Goosebumps greeted her skin. She quaked in her boots.

She was scared.

_"And although you may find yourself stranded at times," _

There was a whooshing sound, piercing the quiet forest it seemed to blast her eardrums. She whimpered, whirling around again and again, until her eyes spotted something in the distance.

There was a wave of fog. So dark and black it seemed like an empty abyss. It ghosted over branches and bushes, seeming to engulf them until they no longer existed. She whined in fright, stumbling back until she whirled around, trying to run away, until her gaze rested on the fog again.

She was surrounded.

Her head darted side to side- trying to find a way out, _anything_, trying to escape. Her breathing was heavy, pants coming out quick and fast like bullets. Her body was shaking like a leaf in the wind. But she didn't have the privilege to go anywhere.

The fog was closing in now. It was so close, she could almost physically feel the helplessness it seemed to harbor. She was trembling in place.

The fog reached her feet. It was cold and made her heart jump in place. It began to climb, up and up her legs. Then it reached her waist, then her arms. Until finally, it slowly began to cover her head.

The last thing Valerie saw before she was completely engulfed, was a pair of blood, cold, red eyes.

_"You can always, __**always,**__ find your way back to the light."  
_

* * *

**AN: Hey guys! I hope the summary and prologue were interesting enough for you to enjoy! Kingdom Hearts is a very beloved (hehe, Dearly Beloved...) series of mine, so I couldn't resist adding my own twist to it.**

**Now, like I said at the beginning of the chapter, this story is in the process of being re-written. Well, at least, some of the earlier chapters. So, at the moment, this is the only one I have done, so the next few chapters may be a bit off for the time being until I get off my lazy but and write them. Another thing is, l****ike I said, I am pretty lazy, so updates will probably be sporadic. **

**Yes, this story will be SoraxOC. It will begin somewhat at late KH1/Chain of Memories. You have been warned. **

**KH1 will be pretty bland in the new plot department, however, after this game, that's when things with my character, Valerie will begin to unfold. Until then, it'll probably just follow the game.**

**Once my tablet gets fixed, I may begin posting art of _Don't Accept Defeat_ on deviantart. You can check me out at KittyCatKate27.**

**That's all I could think of at the moment (sorry for the long author's note). So until next time!**

**-Adios!  
**__


	2. Chapter 1: So it Begins

**DISCLAIMER: Once again, I do not own Kingdom Hearts**

**Published as of: February 22nd, 2015 **  
**Re-written as of: February 1st, 2017**

* * *

"Argh!"

I groaned, hands bolting up to grasp at my now throbbing head. After the pain subsided -somewhat-, I huffed away my disheveled ginger hair from my face, just deciding to lie there on my floor for a quick few seconds as I got my bearings straight.

"Valerie! What's going on up there!?" mom yelled from downstairs, making me groan.

"Nothing mom, just fell from my bed!" I yelled back, huffing as I sat up and rubbed at my still aching head.

"Alright, sweetie! Start getting ready or you'll be late for school!" I groaned again and gave her a halfhearted answer before standing up and stretching with a yawn. Rubbing a my bleary eyes I stumbled to my closet and haphazardly picked out whatever I saw first. In the end, I ended up with a light blue t-shirt, darker blue skirt and a black jacket that ended before my elbows.

I made my way to the bathroom, quickly splashing my face with cold water to try and wake up my senses even further. It helped, if a bit. I sighed, before looking up into my reflection and into my bright, electric blue eyes. There were bags under them, reminding me of my horrible decision to stay up reading along with the super weird dream I had.

As I brushed my teeth and hair, my thoughts wandered to what the voice had been telling me. Darkness, huh...? I shivered as I remembered that terrifying fog that had consumed me and the red eyes that I saw before I had woken up screaming and flailing as I fell off my bed.

I shook the thoughts away. It wasn't important, and was most definitely a figment of my imagination. No need to worry about it now.

I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen, where I began to drool as the amazing scent of breakfast wafted to my nose. I quickened my pace, and upon seeing my mom cooking, sent a silent 'thank you' to whoever was listening. Her breakfasts were heavenly whenever we got the chance to have it.

"Morning sweetie," Mom said, her blond hair swishing as her bright green eyes shined, sending a small smile my way before returning to the food.

"Morning mom," I replied, and upon seeing my little blond headed sister sitting at the table as she was drawing, I ruffled her hair with a grin. "Morning, squirt," I teased, her big blue eyes giving me a pout.

"Val!" she whined, making me chuckle as I took a seat. She quickly sobered up and grinned at me. "Are we still doing the Disney-thon?!"

I sighed in exasperation, shaking my head all the while chuckling. Honestly, where she got all that energy, I'll never know. "Yes, Pip, we're still doing the marathon." She cheered.

"Yay! We're gunna start with Tangled, right?!" She smiled up at me excitedly and I nodded, laughing. She let out a whoop of cheer.

Mom placed a plate before me, cutting our conversation short. "Breakfast is served," she cheerfully said, smiling at the both of us. I immediately dug in, letting out a happy, content sigh through my nose.

"You're the best," I muttered in happiness, barely being able to swallow my food before uttering the words.

She chuckled. "Yes, I am aware. Now eat up; and don't talk with your mouth full." I glanced curiously at her. I dunno, but she kinda seemed distracted. Aw well. I shrugged and went back to my food.

Piper and I were quick to finish up, and before long, we were in the entrance way as we grabbed our bags and headed out the door to start the day. "Bye mom!" I called, grabbing Piper's hand and waving at Mom with my other. "See you after school!"

"You two have fun," she said, giving a small smile.

"Bye!" Piper joined in and soon we were out the door. Ugh, I was already dreading the day.

* * *

"Miss Valerie! I'll have you know I do _not_ appreciate when young students like you are not. _paying.__** attention!"**_

I flinched as my English teacher, _Ms. Helgia_, slammed her hand down for each syllable of the last three words in her sentence. "Sorry Ms. Helia. Won't do it again."

"You'd better hope not," she growled at me before turning around and stalking back up to the front of the class, ripping someone's book away from them that they were reading from under their desk. I let out a disinterested sigh as she continued, the chalk making horribly ear-piercing scratching sounds against the blackboard.

Ah, Ms. Helgia. A mean, senile and old woman who regrettably taught me ninth grade English. She had a horrible high-pitched voice, and her glasses seemed to make her eyes stare into your _soul_. Everyone hated her, and, in turn, she hated them back.

Before long I ditched my notes and let my mind wander again, pretending to pay attention when in reality, I wasn't. My thoughts kept going back to that weird dream I had, and the weird voice that had come with it. The more and more I thought about it, the more and more I became confused and maybe even slightly scared. Goosebumps covered my skin every time I thought about that black fog.

Before long, the bell rang, and I bolted out of my seat and into the hallway before Ms. Helgia could give me another one of her 'lectures'. As I input the pass-code into the lock on my locker, I sighed, already exhausted. Only a week into school and I was a mess.

"What's up, Carrot Top?"

I rolled my eyes fondly as my best friend since I could remember, Jenna Teil, leaned against the locker beside me, her tied up brown hair covering a bit over her green eyes. The name, 'Carrot Top' was a name of endearment from her since we were little. Apparently my hair reminded her of carrots.

"Not much, Jen. Got yelled at by the beast, though," I told her, the both of us wincing.

"Ooh, that's rough," she whistled, and she held onto the strap of her bag. "Hey! You wanna hang out tonight?" she blurted out, and I contemplated it a moment, before nodding. English homework be damned.

I placed the rest of my stuff into my bag, before closing the locker and smiling at her. "Sure. 's long as you don't mind a Disney-thon with the twerp."

She let out a whoop, pumping her fist into the air. "Hell yeah! I'm all up for it!" After her statement we wove our way through the crowds upon crowds of high school students, avoiding any of the fights no doubt about to take place and any confrontations with people we liked to avoid. We were't exactly high on the social ladder -we were pretty low, actually- so we kept to ourselves, mostly. No one really liked us.

Before long we were walking across the street to where Piper's elementary school was at, and with her hands clasped in both of ours, we made our way back home.

However, what I didn't expect, was to see mom waiting there for us on the front porch, along with a rather unsettling forlorn expression. I frowned, and once she heard us approaching, tried to give us a smile. But I could see it was strained. "How was your day?"

"It was awesome!" Piper exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear, obviously not picking up on mom's strange behavior. "Mrs. Johnson let us paint during class!"

Mom smiled at Piper's enthusiasm, before turning to Jenna and I. "How about you two?"

Jenna shrugged, but I could tell she noticed the weird behavior as she raised a curious eyebrow at her. "Boring as normal, what about you, Megan?"

Mom seemed to flinched slightly, and putting on a smile, she turned to the nine year old standing between Jenna and me. "Piper, dear. How about you go set up the T.V? I need to talk to the girls for a second." Piper tilted her head in confusion, but obeyed nonetheless, and skipped inside. Mom watched her go, almost sadly before standing up with a sigh as she also headed in. "Let's talk in the kitchen." Jenna and I glanced at each other, before following after her.

We stood in the kitchen, and I watched as Mom looked at the floor sadly. There was a silence, only being broken by Piper scuffling in the living room as she quietly decided on movies to watch as she set up.

Finally, Mom sighed, and glanced at me. "You trust Jenna, yes?"

The question completely baffled me, and with a meek and confused nod, I muttered a hesitant, "Yeah...?"

Mom sighed once again. "This is about your father."

Oh. Well then.

My Dad was a bit of a... touchy subject for me. I mean, he up and left when I was five for mom to take care of a newly born Piper. Jenna's parents helped Mom out a lot, and that's why we're such close friends. But Mom never told me why Dad left. I barely remember him.

I shifted my weight to one side as I leaned against the counter, shooting my Mom a confused look. "Okay...? And why are we talking about him all of a sudden...?"

She stayed silent for a few seconds, before pinning me with a serious stare, making me straight up in surprise. "Val? Have you had any weird dreams lately?" The question confused me, and I sputtered, until her stare hardened. "This is serious, Valerie. I need you to answer honestly."

I fidgeted under her gaze, biting my lip. "I-I don't think so-" Mom sighed in relief, before I remembered the dream from last night, "wait, maybe there was..."

Mom stiffened, staring at me in shock. I bit my lip again, averting her gaze. "I was... in a forest, and... there was this... voice...?" Mom let out a strangled gasp, sliding down into a chair at the table, hiding her face in her hands. "Mom...?"

She sighed, before glancing back up at me sadly, and I gasped -along with Jenna- to see tears in her eyes. She coughed, glancing back down at the table. "Y-Your father... had the same dream..."

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "He did?" She nodded.

"Were you holding a silver bow?" I nodded, making her sigh. "I knew it..." she muttered. She took a deep breath and pinned both Jenna and I with a stare. "I need you to listen very closely. This is very important, so don't tell anyone at school- or anyone around here, okay?" I opened my mouth to speak, but she cut me off with a harsher stare. I stopped trying to talk, and she took in another deep breath. "You see, each first born of the new generation of Viche's," that was our last name, "will gain the ability to wield a special weapon. Your father had it, too. And about 9 to 10 years ago, your father left. The reason why is because someone wanted to hurt him, to hurt _us,_ because of this power."

Oh god, this was crazy, what was she saying? Power? Special _weapon?_ _What the hell?_

"I know you don't believe me, Val, but I need you to try. Try to summon your weapon." I glanced at her hesitantly, before she gave me another glare. "Try. Look inside you."

Okay, this was crazy, but... she was my Mom. I had to try.

So, I took a deep breath, tried to concentrate, tried to, 'look inside', as she had said. It was hard and I kept losing concentration, before, eventually, I let out a growl of frustration. Jenna gasped in shock, along with a slight squeal, and I curiously opened my eyes, only to see the bow that had been in my dream resting in my hand.

With wide eyes and shaking hands, I stared at it in a mixture of horror and wonder. "W-what...? I-I..."

"See? I told you," Mom said gently, trying to calm my nerves (it didn't help). "I wouldn't have made this up."

"T-that's... that's amazing..." Jenna whispered in wonder, her eyes never leaving the weapon in my hand. "This is definitely not what I expected when I came over for a Disney-thon." The statement made me let out half chuckle, half wheeze.

I saw mom shift uncomfortably, like there was something else she needed to tell. God, I wasn't sure there was much more I could handle. "There's... another thing that comes with the bow..."

I sighed. "What is it?"

Her green eyes drifted to the table, not meeting my gaze. "It... It's very-"

She was cut off by a scream, _Piper's_ scream.

Mom bolted up, running into the living room so fast I could barely see her. Jenna and I quickly followed after her, my heart racing and blood run cold. Piper was crying in fear on the floor, staring out the window in terror. Tears were in her eyes, and we all rushed forward to calm her and her crying.

"Shh, shh. It's okay," I whispered, running a hand through her hair as I tried to calm down my rapidly beating heart.

"I-I w-wouldn't s-s-say t-that," Jenna stuttered in fear, crawling backwards as she shakily pointed out the window with her eyes blown wide in terror.

Swallowing, I turned to look out at what had scared both Piper and Jenna so much.

A strangled gasp lodged in my throat, and I felt my blood run cold at the sight that awaited me. Fear controlled my nerves, not allowing me to make sense of what I saw, only knowing that it was wrong.

Very, _very wrong.  
_  
I could only watch helpless as I saw one of my neighbors -a kind man who I had known since I was very little, and who always gave me a smile whenever he saw me and sometimes invite us over for dinner- thrown to the ground by a little black monster, one that almost resembled a bug. He glanced up in fear, and could barely let out a scream before the monster swiped at his chest, pulling out a bright light before I watched him _disappear into thin air.  
_  
Piper screamed, hiding her face into my chest as I dimly hugged her tighter, Jenna and Mom huddling closer to us, weeping in fear. And it was only then did I begin to see more in the street, attacking more people, more _people_ who I _knew_. People who had lives and hopes and dreams. All just _ripped_ from them.

"W-what_are_ those things?!" Jenna hiccuped, her voice catching in her throat.

"I-I don't know," Mom answered, and I let out a shaky breath, hugging Piper, who was still crying, with all my might.

I tried to breath in deeply, to calm myself. It didn't help all that much. Why was this happening? It had been fine only a moment ago, and now here we were, crying on the floor as... _monsters_ attacked the people we knew.

"W-what's gunna happen?" was the only thing I could think of stuttering out. I looked at Mom, the person I felt the safest to, who made my nightmares go away. She _had_ to know something, she was _Mom._

She met my gaze, only to look down, sorrowful.

"I don't know..."

I choked back a scared sob, and we all huddled closer, being one sense of comfort. We sat as we heard screams of fear and terror reign outside. Gunshots as people tried to fend them off- to no avail. There were bangs and booms and shaking, but we couldn't do a single thing.

As we lied on the floor, shaking and crying, there was a _**CRACK,**_ and we screamed as debris fell from the ceiling, and the roof of our house, our _home_ was ripped from the rest, and we watched as it flew away, farther and farther into the now bitch black sky, until it was completely gone. Wind whipped our hair and clothes, debris scratching our face and arms.

Jenna screamed, and suddenly, we were surrounded by the monsters. Piper cried harder, and my eyes darted to each one again and again, their yellow eyes seeming to stare back at me, almost tauntingly. They circled, almost like they were studying us. My heart beat faster in anxiety, the beat echoing in my ears, and my breaths came out ragged and broken.

It seemed they would taunt us forever, until all of a sudden, Jenna let out a roar of fury, bolting up and snatching a pipe that had flown beside us. "You want a piece of me?! Well go on then!" she roared, her hands shaking as her aim with the pipe jumped from one to the other, her eyes wide with fear and uncertainty.

"Jenna, no!" Mom screamed, but before we could do anything, one of the monsters leaped at Jenna, before she could comprehend it, and tore at her chest.

_No...  
_  
There was a ringing in my ears, the only other thing I could hear being Jenna's, _my best friend's,_ cracked, broken scream of pain, drawing out for an eternity.

She seemed to fall to the ground in slow motion. Everything else vanished away, and I could only watch as I lost my best friend fade away before me, her body disappearing without a trace.

I dimly felt Mom's hands run through my hair, but it didn't comfort me. It only made the excruciating pain in my chest so much more prominent. All I knew was that my best friend was gone and that this was real, this was_happening_, and I couldn't stop it.

I felt Mom place a quick kiss to my forehead, then Piper's, before she leaned back, and I watched through tear filled vision as she gave a sad smile. "You're strong, Valerie. Promise to protect your sister, okay?" I was confused, why did she talk like she was saying goodbye...?

My eyes widened, and she placed another kiss on my head before standing up and picking up the pipe that Jenna had held once before her, and taking a protective stance before us. I watched uselessly as she fought back, slicing through the monsters like she had trained her entire life to do so. Each strike, each attack and each parry, sent my heart reeling in a flurry of emotions. Piper whimpered, and I hid her from watching Mom as she tried everything to protect us.

It did take everything.

I felt my sorrowful scream fade into air as a monster fell into shadows and stalked behind her, and in a quick motion, plunged its ugly, disfigured claw into her back. Her back lurched, and her own scream caught in her throat. The monster made fun in keeping its claw in, prolonging Mom's pain until it ripped back, sending her to her knees, and she fell limp to the ground.

Her eyes caught mine, and she smiled faintly at me, before my ringing ears caught her mumbled words,

"I love you..."

And she was gone.

I let out a choked sob, burrowing my face into Piper's hair, trying to comfort her, try to be there for her, now that Mom couldn't.

Oh _god_. How did my life get so messed up? So fast? Why me? Why did the world seem to hate me? Was this _entertainment?!_ Whoever was watching sure seemed to have a sick sense of _humor._

The monsters were surrounding us, and I stood up, holding Piper up as she cried in my shoulder. Mom had asked me to protect her, and that was what I was going to do.

So I ran. I ran from my home, where I've lived and grown. Where Mom and Jenna were, even if they were gone. I ran and ran, not glancing back, because I could hear their footfalls behind me. I didn't want to see their hungry yellow eyes glaring back into mine, replaying the scene of them tearing into Mom and Jenna. I couldn't bear it.

"Shh, shh... I-It'll be okay..." I whispered to Piper, trying to calm her despite my exhausted pants. She sobbed, burrowing her face farther into my shoulder.

Suddenly, my path to escape ripped off the ground, flying into the pitch black sky. I skidded to a stop, holding a frightened Piper closer as my breath quickened, eyes darting around to find another path; there was none. It was like the whole world had disappeared and only a tiny fraction, nearly like an island, was left, an abyss replacing the world that had been there only a few seconds before.

Hearing the footfalls residing too close for comfort, and Piper's small whimper of fright, I hesitantly turned around, and once again, we were surrounded. I gasped frightfully, backing up slowly, until my foot almost slipped off the edge, nearly sending us sprawling into the abyss.

There was no where to go. We were trapped.

With a resigned sigh, and with the wind whipping my hair, I hugged Piper as close as I could. "I love you, Pip," I whispered, tears prickling my eyes and the monsters began to hone in on us.

"I love you too, Val," she hiccuped back, her voice cracking as she sobbed.

So, accepting my fate, I closed my eyes tightly and tensed in preparation for their attack.

It never came.

My sense of gravity suddenly up-turned, and I felt my feet rise off the ground. I shrieked in surprise, Piper letting out a scram as she held onto me tightly, my body swaying and whipping in so many directions as we flew into the sky, I nearly lost my grip on her.

"Pip! H-Hold on!" I exclaimed as I was whipped to another side, my heart hammering in my chest as I watched the ground become smaller and smaller as we flew away. We flipped, both of us screaming as we did so.

"I-I'm trying!" she stammered back.

Then, in a terrifying movement, we were flown so harshly to the side, my grip had failed me and Piper went flying from my grip. She screamed, and my hand snatched at her wrist so fast I could barely comprehend it, my nerves turning into cold ice.

"I-I'm s-slipping!" she grunted in fear, her little hand slowly falling through my fingers as we were tossed again. I grit my teeth, trying with all my might to hold on, until with another tug to the side, she slipped.

_"Piper!"_ I wailed in horror, my arm still out-stretched as if I tried hard enough, she would be back in my arms. Each second as I watched her fly away, _every heart beat _as her screams faded into air, felt like an eternity, and I felt completely hopeless. "No..." I felt tears obscure my vision and drip down my face into the sky as Piper disappeared. I wailed in sorrow, curling in on myself as I was tosses again.

In my anguish, I didn't pay attention to my surroundings, nor any of the debris that was also being dragged along with me. As I wept, a plank of wood was flung my way, and hit me harshly, making my head spin and vision blurry with black dots dancing across it, until I was thrown into unconsciousness. 

* * *

**AN: So... that happened.**

**This wasn't meant to be so... _angsty._ Hope it wasn't too bad. Thankfully, it will be a bit more light heartened next chapter once the gang arrives. :3**

**If any of you has a question, don't be afraid to ask! I'll gladly answer, I love to! **

**Anywho, that's all for now. Please leave a review so I know if you enjoyed it. Until next time! **

**-Adios!**


	3. Chapter 2: A New Beginning

**AN: Hello readers! I feel really bad about not posting this earlier. Bad Kitty! . But now that school is done and summer break is starting I can now start working on this. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Oh! before I forget. Have any of you seen the Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer that was released about a week ago? It looks so good! Can't wait for it to come out! **

**Disclaimer: This is ****_Fan_****fiction. Meaning that I am a ****_Fan. _****So I don't own Kingdom Hearts. *****_Sob*_**** I only own My OC'S and any new ideas added.**

Chapter 2: A New Beginning

Where am I? Am I dead? I probably am. I had no idea death could feel so, _warm_. I'll never get to tell Mom I love her, or give Pip one last hug. Wait,the Heartless are going to kill her! "Piper!" I screamed as I lurched forward. It looked like I was on a bed.

"Whoa there, take it easy," I heard to my left. I turned and saw a girl who looked sixteen, had short black hair and brown eyes. "Your head had a pretty bad bump on your head when I found you," she told me.

"Who are you?" I asked.

She jabbed her thumb into her chest and stuck her nose in air. "I'm the great the great ninja, Yuffie!" she exclaimed.

I laughed. "Hi Yuffie. I'm Valerie," I introduced myself. "If you don't mind me asking, where are we?"

"Well…" she stared at me cautiously. "You're in Traverse Town," she told me.

I started to get nervous. "Please tell me that's somewhere in Canada,"

Yuffie gave me a sad look. "No. It's a completely different world," my face paled and I put my face in my hands. I would probably ask the girl if she was crazy, but after what happened today, it was a bit easier to believe.

"Everyone I know is… gone?" I mumbled into my hands. Then I remembered Piper. "When you found me, was there a little girl with blond hair?" I asked with hope in my eyes.

"I don't think so," she replied. My hope diminished. I lost my family, friends and home. I felt what was like a cold empty void in my chest. Tears began to form at the corners of my eyes. I felt empty and alone. I could restart again, but I didn't want to. I didn't know anybody and this weight of knowing that _everyone _I cared about was gone, was really wearing me down. But, wait a second!

I didn't actually see Piper disappear! I was holding her when I fell unconscious! I woke up here so that may mean that she is still alive! If I could find her again, maybe, just maybe, I could still move on. Yes, I would never be the same again knowing that only Piper was there but I might just be alright.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked at Yuffie. She was looking at me with sympathy in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I went through the same thing. My home was taken over by Heartless. But at least I knew a couple of people who made it out as well," she said.

I looked at her in surprise. I felt a little better knowing that I wasn't the only one who had gone through this experience. "Thanks Yuffie. I actually really needed that," I told her in gratitude.

"No problem. Now, if you don't mind can you come with me?" I nodded and got up from the bed. "Nice necklace," I heard her say. I looked down and gasped. Resting on my chest was a golden tag. It had two blacks wings on each side and a red heart in the middle. I would admit it was very pretty. But how did it get there? I shook my head and followed Yuffie out the door.

We walked for a bit, until we reached what looked like the main square. There was a man kneeling and was holding what looked like a big knife. In front of him was a boy who was panting a great deal. "Now…you're gonna… " he mumbled before he fell back, fainting.

The man got up and Yuffie started walking towards him. I tried to warn her to get away from the intimidating man holding a knife, but she spoke up before I got the chance. "Aw, you're slipping, Leon,"

The man, Leon, shrugged. "I went easy on him," Yuffie muttered what sounded like '_sure_'. "Still, things are worse then we thought. A lot worse."

"What do you mean?" I asked, wanting to be out of the loop.

"You see that?'' Yuffie said while pointing at the key the boy was holding. ''That's what we call a Keyblade. It's one of the only weapons that can free the hearts of Heartless. It chose now to make itself known. Also, both yours and this boy's worlds have been consumed by Heartless. If this doesn't scream 'bad situation', I don't know what does."

"I see." I looked at the boy who was unconscious. "Uh… maybe we should help him?" I suggested. Leon nodded and threw the boy on his back. I saw his Keyblade on the ground and picked it up. Realizing I was being left behind, I quickly followed after Yuffie and Leon.

After we reached the house, Leon placed the boy on the bed. He turned towards me and said to put the Keyblade on the other side of the house. After I did so, he asked, "So, what's the story with you?

"Her name's Valerie! I found her passed out in the streets. Her world got taken over by Heartless," Yuffie explained, while putting a hand on my shoulder.

"How did you escape?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Honestly? I don't know," I said truthfully. "My mom had been explaining why my Dad left. She said he protected something important, and if he stayed, bad people would hurt us. I then told them about a dream I had. There was soft voice, saying I was the protector of light, or something. Then a bow appeared in my hand. A Heartless appeared behind me and I shot it. A Black substance got on me and I woke up. After I told this to my Mom and friend, Jenna, a loud sound was outside. Then Heartless got in the house and killed Jenna and my Mom. Then when they tried to get my sister, who I was holding, and me we started glowing and they disappeared. Then I got tired and fell unconscious," by now my voice was cracking, and I felt tears forming in my eyes. I furiously tried to wipe them away, embarrassed of crying in front of strangers, again. "I'm sorry,"

"It's alright," Yuffie comforted me while rubbing my back.

Leon was thinking. "You said this bow appeared in your hand, correct?"

"Yes?" I questioned, now recovering from my uh… nervous breakdown.

"Do you think you can summon it?" He asked.

"How would I do that?" I asked, skeptical.

"Just concentrate, and feel the power inside you," Leon explained.

I still looked doubtful, but I did it anyway. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I felt a weight in my hand and when I looked down, I saw the same silver bow from my dream. "Whoa…"

"It has no arrows?" Yuffie asked. Remembering what I did before, I pulled the golden string back. Instead of having my hand empty, I felt the fire arrow between my fingers. Yuffie looked on with fascination. "Wicked!"

"Interesting," was all Leon said.

We heard a groan coming from where the boy on the bed was. Yuffie ran over and knelt down. I then heard him mumble something like, "I'm glad you're okay, Kairi,"

Yuffie looked offended. "Kairi? Who are you talking about? I'm the great ninja Yuffie!" she said, giving the same introduction she gave me. She turned around. "I think you may have overdone it Squall."

Leon came from his spot, leaning on the door. "That's Leon!" he told her, apparently annoyed.

The boy was looking at the Keyboard beside Leon. I will say Leon, because he is intimidating. "The Keyblade?" the boy asked.

"Yeah, we had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures you saw," Yuffie explained while walking towards Leon and me. "It turns out, that's how they were tracking you."

Leon crossed his arms. "It was the only way to conceal your heart from them, but it won't work for long." Then he scoffed. "Still hard to believe you of all people are the one it choose." Leon picked up the Keyblade and swung it. It started to glow and disappeared into the boys hand.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed.

"Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers," Leon said while walking toward the bed.

"Why don't you start making sense! What's going on here!" the boy yelled. Leon shook his head and started explaining. I tuned him out since I knew most of this. I went to thinking about Piper. Poor, innocent, Piper. I had to find her! If not, I don't know how I can go on…

When Yuffie started talking about something I didn't know, I started listening. "A man named Ansem was studying Heartless. He found out the only thing that can free their hearts was the Keyblade."

The boy held up the blade "So, this is the key?" he asked.

"Exactly!" Yuffie nodded her head.

"The Heartless fear the Keyblade," Leon said while walking towards the door. "That's why they will stop at nothing to destroy the Keyblade, including its wielder,"

The boy looked at the ground sadly. "Well I didn't ask for this,"

Yuffie looked at him sympathetically. "The Keyblade chooses it's master, and for some reason, it choose you,"

"So tough luck," Leon told him rudely.

"How did this happen? I remember being in my room…" he trailed off. Then he gasped and stood off the bed. "Oh no! What about my home? My island? Riku! Kairi!" he looked at us franticly.

"You know what? I really don't know," Leon sighed, shaking his head.

Deciding to let myself be known, I tried to comfort him. "It's alright. I lost my home today too,"

"Really?" he asked giving me a curious look.

I nodded my head. "Uh huh. But you want to know something? I'm going to try and not let it bring me down because I have a sister somewhere, and I'm going to find her." He nodded and smiled. Then I notice something. "Maybe we should get on a first name basis?"

He laughs. " Sure. I'm Sora," he held out his hand.

I shook it. "I'm Valerie. But you can call me Val,"

Yuffie opened her mouth to say something, but a Heartless wearing armor appeared in the middle of the room. "Yuffie! Valerie! Go!" Leon yelled while blocking the Heartless from getting us. Yuffie ran out the door immediately, but I stayed where I was. I felt like I needed to fight it. I willed my bow in my hand and stood my ground. "Valerie, I said go!" Leon demanded.

"No! I want to fight, not be a bystander while my friends get hurt! Don't worry, I took a few archery lessons in my world," I told him. If it was one thing I hate, it was standing around, making somebody do all the work when I could help.

Leon looked a little hesitant, but nodded. Then he looked to Sora. "Sora, you ready?"

Sora took a stance. "Ready as I'll ever be," he said determinedly. They both hit it and the Heartless flew out the window. If it weren't a serious situation, I would have laughed. Then Leon jumped out the window and Sora followed him. My face grew a little pale considering... I shook my head. They needed my help. I looked out the now broken window and noticed a wooden crate below it. I got ready and jumped, landing a little ungracefully onto the crate. After regaining my balance, I followed Sora and Leon.

After reaching a street, we had taken out a lot of Heartless (though Sora did most of it. Leon had left to another part of town). In this certain street it looked deserted, which I was a bit skeptical about. I heard a scream above us and saw two figures coming our way, or falling our way. I ran out of the way, and poor Sora, who hadn't noticed them fast enough, got landed on. I was about to ask if he was okay, when I realized who fell on him, I raised a hand to my mouth.

It was a duck and a dog. Correction, it was a very famous duck and dog. _Donald _and _Goofy_. Shaking my head I went to help Sora. "You okay?"

He mumbled a "Yeah…"

Once Donald and Goofy regained their bearings, they realized Sora, or what he was holding. "The key!" they yelled.

I was about to tell them how rude that was when the ground started shaking. I looked around us and walls started appearing where all the exits were. I took out my bow and got an arrow ready. Heartless started appearing and I shoot the closest ones. I wasn't an expert yet, so I was being careful. A big crash sounded behind us and a big purple Heartless fell. Sora and Donald went to fight the big one while Goofy, who knew I would need help, started fighting the smaller Heartless with me.

It took about two shoots each Heartless, but Goofy and me finished them off. Not with me almost tripping a couple of times first, though. We turned to see Sora and Donald finishing off the big Heartless. The head fell off and a heart came out of the body, disappearing. Now that it had no heart, the purple armored Heartless disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

"Glad that's over," Sora huffed, wiping his forehead.

"Yeah. Me too," I agreed.

Donald and Goofy came over too us. "So you're the one with the Keyblade," Goofy said.

"You're the one we've been looking all around for!" Donald yelled.

Sora raised an eyebrow and pointed at himself. "You were looking for me?" he asked. They nodded their heads franticly.

"They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade," Leon said. Yuffie came up behind him.

Knowing this was about Sora, I was about to walk away, when I heard something that made me stop in my tracks. "Hey, why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel," Goofy said with a smile. A ship that can travel to other worlds! I could go find Piper!

"I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi…" Sora looked at the ground, looking thoughtful.

"Of course!" Donald told him and he looked up in hope. Goofy leaned down and they started mumbling something I couldn't hear.

Leon crossed his arms. "Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends."

Sora looked down again. "I guess…" he didn't seem very reassured.

"But you can't come along looking like that. Understand?" Donald scolded, waving a finger at him. "No frowning. No sad faces. Okay?"

Goofy went right up in Donald's face. "Yeah, ya gotta look funny, like us!"

Donald, who was annoyed, pushed Goofy's face away. Then he looked back at Sora. "This boat runs on happy faces."

Sora, who was still looking at the ground mumbled, "Happy?" Donald and Goofy were trying to look under his bangs. Then Sora jumps out with a big, cheesy grin. We stay quiet for a while, then we all burst out into laughter, including me even though I was still a little down in the dumps. "Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys,"

"Donald Duck," Donald says, holding out his hand.

"Name's Goofy," he does the same thing.

"I'm Sora" he puts his hand on theirs.

"All for one, one for all," Goofy announced.

Yuffie puts a hand on my shoulder. "Come on Val. I have a place you can stay," I look at Sora, Donald and Goofy's retreating backs.

I bit my lip. This could be my only chance. "Give me one sec," she probably knew what I was doing, because she nodded. I smiled, thankful that she understood, and ran towards them. "Wait!" I called out.

Donald turns around. He starts taping his foot, or flipper on the ground and had his hands on his hips. "What do you want?'' he asked, obviously annoyed.

"I wanted to ask you something," I start rubbing my hands together, nervously.

"What is it?" Goofy said kinder.

"I wanted to ask," I take a deep breath. "Can I go with you guys?"

"What! Why!?" Donald yelled.

I wince at his loud voice. "My only remaining family may be out there. I lost everyone else. I know first aid, and with a bit of practice, I can help with long ranged attacks."

"I dunno…" Donald gave me a look. "I can cast a pretty good heal." My hope dwindles. I needed to find Piper. I didn't know what I would do.

Sora stepped forward. "But Donald, during a battle, you will be a little busy. Or if you're knocked out, who will heal Goofy and me?" he looks at me and I smile gratefully.

"I still don't think it's a good idea…" Donald seemed too be a little less reluctant.

"Come on Donald, let the lady come with us," Goofy started supporting me.

Donald finally gave in. "Oh! Alright!"

I put my fist in the air. "Thank you so much!"

He pointed a finger at me. "If you're not much help, were sending you straight back here, understand?"

I saluted him. "Yes, sir!" I was trying to be in high spirits. I couldn't go looking for Piper when I was depressed all the time.

He rolled his eyes while Sora and Goofy laughed. "I don't think I know your name," Goofy asked.

"Oh! It's Valerie, but you may call me Val," I said, shaking his outstretched hand.

"Well, you already know my name," I nodded.

I turned around. "Bye, Leon! Bye, Yuffie!" I yelled.

"Wait!" she said. I stopped walking as she came towards me. "This is from all of us." She handed me some type of currency. "Make sure you check the shops anytime you need something,"

"Alright," I replied, thankful for the advice.

"Valerie," Leon said. He gave me what looked like a blue soft drink. "Give this to Sora,"

"You be safe now!" Yuffie told me.

"I will!" I called back. I turned around to face my new companions, allies and maybe friends. A determined look fell upon my face. _Don't worry Piper. I will find you_

**AN: I hope you enjoyed. Please review!**


	4. Chapter 3: Unfair Judges

After getting supplies (which consisted of potions, ethers and food) needed for our 'journey' we started walking towards the main entrance of Traverse Town. "The Gummi ship is outside that gate," Donald stated.

"The what?" Sora asked.

"That's probably what they use to travel," I told him.

"Oh, oops?" he said, rubbing the back of his head.

Donald turned around to face us. "Wait 'till you see it!" he quacked. He started walking again but then stopped abruptly. "Hold on. Sora, Valerie, this is for you," he handed us a small crystal ball that looked like it had a flame inside it. When I touched it, it felt like my whole inside heated up. Once it died down, Donald started talking again. "Now you can use magic too. Goofy, give them that other thing."

"What other thing?" Goofy replied.

Donald rolled his eyes. "You know!" he yelled.

"Oh, yeah!" Goofy handed us another crystal ball. When I touched it, I imagined myself rolling away from an attack. "Now you can dodge easier. Although, you won't know how to do it perfectly right away. Abilities can allow you to do all sorts of things. Guess we should look for 'em along the way, huh?"

I nodded. "That would probably be a good idea. The dodge ability is quite useful. Who knows what other abilities will do?"

"Wait!" a little voice chirped. A cricket came out of Donald's pocket and onto his shoulder. "I don't think we've been introduced. The name's Jiminy Cricket. I'll be recording all of your journey, like Heartless names and places," he said while tipping his hat towards Sora and me.

"Thank you Jiminy. I'm pretty sure you know us. So now that is out of the way, are we ready to go?" I asked. I was wondering what the 'Gummi ship' was.

"Yup!" Goofy laughed. After reaching the main gate, Goofy pushed the big door and Donald walked in. Not wanting to be left behind, Sora and me quickly ran after them. When I saw the ship, my jaw dropped. In front of us was a big red ship. And really, really, cool might I add.

"Whoa," Sora whispered. Me, who was stunned into silence, only nodded my head.

"It's a real beauty, ain't it?" Goofy laughed at our reactions.

"Oh, definitely! I've never seen this type of technology before!" I said, finally regaining my voice. I ran over to the side of the ship and put my hand on it. It felt like... jello. I winced, thinking of home. Shaking thoughts of home out of my head I asked, "What's the material?"

Donald spoke up this time. "It's gummi. Hence the name 'Gummi ship'." He made it sound like it solved the whole problem. I had no idea what gummi was!

We walked towards the back where there was a door. Goofy opened it for us and we got in. Inside was a hall and six doors. On the left there was three doors with words above them. Each one of them said 'Donald', 'Kitchen', and 'Goofy'. On the other side, were two blank spots and one that said 'Bathroom'. "We'll be putting your names above your room doors soon," Goofy said.

"Whoa, we get rooms?" Sora asked.

"Duh. Where will we sleep when the ships on auto pilot, or we're tired from going to other worlds?" Donald rolled his eyes.

"Uh, I didn't think of that," Sora said, rubbing the back of his head, again.

At the end of the hallway was a staircase. I walked up it, my curiosity getting the better of me. When I got to the top, I gasped. There were controls everywhere! This ship is still amazing me! "Since you guys are new, you won't be touching anything! Got it?" Donald said.

"Yup," I replied.

We all sat down and Donald and Goofy started pressing buttons. Goofy looked at Sora and me. "Better hold on. Lift off is usually really bumpy," he said. I quickly held onto the hand bars and shut my eyes tightly.

When he said really bumpy, he wasn't kidding. When the ship took off, it felt like my whole body got left behind. It was really weird. But the view once we were in space was totally worth it. It was beautiful! The space around us had a whole array of different colors! Purple, blue and green. I could go on. I even saw other ships that Donald and Goofy shot down.

As the ship continued through space, my mind suddenly wandered as I began to question how Donald and Goofy could, well, exist? I still remember watching them as a kid. Could that mean my world was more connected then I thought? Did that mean that there are other Disney worlds out there that I know of because I watched a movie about them?

I must have been lost in my thoughts about other worlds because the next thing I knew, Goofy announced we had reached the next world. "So you know, once we reach a new world, we teleport into it," Donald said.

"I hope it's not as bad as lift off," Sora mumbled and I totally agreed with him. Donald pressed a green button and our seats started glowing. Let me tell you, teleporting is not fun. Unfortunately teleporting was worse then liftoff. It was like my whole body was going through straw and my insides were being squeezed.

When teleporting was done, I felt like I was going to throw up. But when I opened my eyes I quickly shut them and didn't feel like throwing up anymore. We were, falling. Yes I will admit it. I. Hate. Heights. My heart started to pound really fast, and I let out a terrified scream. After what felt like eternity, I felt solid ground underneath my feet and I was very tempted to kiss the ground. That moment was quickly put off though.

"Oh, no! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" said a bunny out of breath. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! I'm here I should be there. I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! The queen, she'll have my head for sure!" he yelled, going down a hallway.

"One things for sure, I hope I don't meet this queen," I spoke up after an awkward silence. Making someone lose their head, just because they were late to something? I'm so glad I wasn't born in this world… Even though the wars and politics were pretty bad on Earth. Ugh, I was thinking about home again…

"I second that," Sora said, agreeing.

I nodded and was about to start walking when I realized something. "Oh!"

"What is it now?" Donald quacked, irritated.

"I just realized," I started. "that I'm the only girl on the team!" I mentally banged my head on a wall. I didn't notice? Really?

"That sucks," Sora smirked. I glared at him and punched him on the arm. "Ow!" I rolled my eyes. I didn't mind being the only girl, it's just... at home, most of the people I knew were girls. All the other guys in class used to tease me. Now though, I kind of miss their taunts and pranks. Shaking my thoughts of home out of my head, again, I followed after the guys when I realized I would be left behind.

We walked down a hallway and noticed a door. Sora went up and opened it, only to reveal another door… He opened this one and behind it was another door. "Seriously?" I said annoyed. "What's up with this place? If I had to open fifty doors just to get to my bedroom, I'd go crazy," I muttered, watching as Sora yanked the door open in annoyance. Thank god it was for a room this time.

We headed into the room and I saw the rabbit from earlier. Except this time, he was really tiny. He ran into an open door and it closed on him. Sora crouched in front of the small door, inspecting it. "How'd he get so small? He wasn't like that earlier," he asked, though he probably didn't expect to get an answer.

"No, you're simply too big," the door knob answered, surprising all of us.

"It talks!" Donald gasped.

The doorknob yawned. "Ugh, you people are so loud! You woke me up."

"We're sorry," I apologized. "But, may I ask you a question?" He raised an eyebrow, which was really weird… "Can you tell us how too grow small?"

"Why don't you try the blue bottle, over there?" he stated then fell asleep. I got up and dusted my skirt.

Sora was about to try the bottle when I called out, "Wait!" and he looked at me. "We should look for another place to follow the rabbit, since the doorknob is asleep," I said.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "That would probably be smart." I rolled my eyes, wondering if I would be the smarts for the team. After many searches of the room, and all of us almost having a rage mode, we found a passage behind a bed. Sora picked up the bottle and took a sip. For some odd reason, it affected Donald, Goofy and me, but I wasn't complaining. Sora made a face and I deducted it tasted horrible.

When we finished shrinking, I noticed we were on the table, high above the ground. Sora, Donald and Goofy quickly got off, but I was a bit more hesitant. After a Heartless appeared behind me though, I quickly forgot my fear and jumped after them. I took out my bow and started firing at flying heartless that were shooting fireballs, well to the best of my ability, I wasn't that good yet. Don't expect me to start shooting arrows 100% overnight.

After we, or Sora, Donald and Goofy finished them I went up to Donald. "Donald, how long should it take for me to learn heal? I'd like to know so I can use it as soon as possible," I stated.

"Its easy to learn, but the more you practice and use it, the better result you'll get," he explained.

"Can you teach it to me later?" I begged and he nodded. We walked to the opening I found. After a long tunnel full of bushes, we came upon what looked like a room made of hedges. In front of us were a whole bunch of human sized cards holding spears. A girl with blond hair stood on a podium.

The rabbit we saw earlier ran up a set of stairs and, out of breath, blew a trumpet. "Court is now in session!" he yelled.

The blond haired girl looked astonished. "I'm on trial? But I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Her Majesty, the Queen-of-Hearts, shall speak," the rabbit said, ignoring her.

A big woman, sitting on a throne looked at the girl. "This girl did it. There's no doubt about it, and the reason is…" the Queen took a big breath, "well I say so, that's why!" I gasped. Has this woman ever heard of a lawyer?

"That isn't right!" the girl shot back, and I agreed with her fully!

The Queen only smirked. "Well, do you have anything to prove your innocence?"

"Of course!" the young girl said. "I haven't done anything wrong! You may be queen, but that doesn't give you the right to be so…" she trailed off. "so rude!" Yeah! Nice one!

"SILENCE!" the queen yelled, enough too blow the girl's hair back. Wow, that's some vocal cords. "You dare oppose me?!"

"Hey, guys, she looks like she needs help," Sora spoke up.

I nodded. "This is the most sorry excuse of a court I've ever seen."

Donald looked at us. "I understand you would want to, but-"

"We're outsiders," Goofy finished for him. "so, wouldn't that be muddling?"

"Meddling!" Donald corrected.

"Yeah! And that's against the rules." I looked at the girl sympathetically. Though that didn't mean I didn't want to help her. If I was going to all these worlds looking for Piper, I would want to help all the people I could.

"The court finds the defendant, guilty!" the queen yelled again. Oh no, poor thing. "For the crimes of assault and attempted theft of my heart," I gasped at this. "OFF WITH HER HEAD!"

"No! NO! Oh please!" the girl said, distraught.

I finally hit my mark. This girl was obviously innocent! She was going to die and there was no proof to show she did it! I ran past the guards screaming, "Hey!" I don't care if it's against the rules. This was so unfair!

"Who are you?! How dare you interfere with my court?!" the queen yelled, getting up from her throne.

"Excuse me, but we know who the real culprit is!" Sora told her.

"Uh-huh. It's the Heartle-" Goofy cut himself off.

"Anyway," Sora continued, "she's not the one you're looking for."

"That's nonsense. Do you have any proof?" the queen smirked again, raising an eyebrow.

This got me mad. "Do you have proof she actually did it?" I shot back. The queen look startled, but quickly recovered herself.

"Guards! Lock her up!" the guards took the girl by her arms and put her in a cage. "Bring me evidence of Alice's innocence! Fail, and it's off with all of your heads!" she yelled.

Sora sighed, and then turned to us. "Guess we better start looking, huh?"

"Yeah. Alice is innocent, that queen is really arrogant," I said. "I saw an opening over there. Want to check it out?" I pointed toward a hole in the room.

"You two are selfless," Donald muttered, but followed us nonetheless.

We walked into a heavily wooded area. I looked around in awe when a head appeared in front of us, scaring me senseless. It kept appearing then reappearing, when eventually, it stopped. I turned to my right to see a cat's body standing on its head, almost giving me a heart attack. "Who are you?!" Donald quacked.

"Who indeed?" the cat spoke, putting it's head back on. Ugh, I felt like having a heart attack just thinking about it. "Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head, and she's not guilty of a thing!"

"Hey, if you know who the culprit is, tell us!" Sora begged.

"The Cheshire cat has all the answers, but doesn't always tell," the cat said mysteriously. "The answer, the culprit, the cat all lie in darkness," he finished, disappearing. Well, that gave us more questions than answers.

"Wait!" I called out desperately.

"They've already left the forest, I won't tell which exit," the Cheshire's cat voice continued. "There are four pieces of evidence. Three are a cinch to find. The fourth is tricky, big reward if you find them all!" he said.

"Should we trust him?" Donald asked.

The cat reappeared almost giving me a heart attack, again. "To trust, or not to trust? I trust you'll decide." This cat acts really cryptic! He disappeared, hopefully for the last time. I sighed and started walking when some Heartless appeared. I swear it's like people want to scare me to death!

I shot them from a distance while Sora, Donald and Goofy fought melee. After finishing them I looked around. The woods looked kind of big, I wouldn't know where to start.

"How about we split up? It will cover more ground and go faster," Sora suggested. Now that I thought about it, it would kind of work in my favor. I saw a couple of places that were really high up. And I didn't want to do that. I would really need to get rid of my fear of heights soon.

"Yeah. Donald and me can look on the ground while you and Goofy can look above," I thought up. Hey, if I don't have to go up, I'm fine with it.

Goofy put a hand on his chin. "Hey, that's a pretty good idea, a-hyuck!" he laughed.

"Goofy and me will go over that way and see if we can find a way up," Sora said pointing in a direction. I nodded and they went their own way.

I turned to Donald and saw him frowning. "What's the matter?" I asked.

"You two are!" he accused pointing a finger at me. "We're going around finding this 'evidence' for someone we don't even know! We're completely forgetting our mission!" he yelled.

I blinked at him, keeping my cool. "Well, if you're going to be inconsiderate like that, I'm just going to ignore you until you realize that we're trying to help someone." Just like that I turned around and walked away, leaving him gawking at me.

I wonder if I went to hard? Oh well, he had to know that people are important. Alice would die if we hadn't interfered, and she wasn't guilty of a thing! She was just about Piper's age. I couldn't let anything like that to happen to Piper! I shook my head and started looking for any evidence.

**AN: Hello! I'm sorry for the late chapter, please don't kill me. I've got into Fairy tail and I haven't worked on this. I feel bad. But, I got this out and I hopped you liked it!**


	5. Chapter 4: The Trick Master

I looked and looked, but for the life of me couldn't find anything! Sora came back at one point and his body turned back to his full size again, but I wasn't paying much attention. I thought about my predicament, that is, searching for anything to prove Alice's innocence, and concluded that if someone told me that I would be doing all this about three days ago, I'd ask if they lost their sanity. I sighed and leaned against the wall, only to find out that it wasn't a wall. I landed on my side to find a little small area encased by tall patches of grass. I huffed in annoyance.

As I stood, I dusted my skirt off. I saw a small pink box and walked towards it. I was close when a Heartless appeared in front of me, making me scream. It didn't stand a chance as I shot it a second later. I took a few deep breaths trying to calm my heart rate down. I heard footstep coming towards me and I got my bow ready. I put it down when I realized it was just Sora. "Valerie! What happened? Are you okay?" he shouted.

"I'm alright! A Heartless appeared and I didn't expect it," I replied. Man, I'm starting to hate this world. It's like everything had it out for me!

I heard him laugh. "Alright. As long as you're not hurt," he said. I sighed and continued walking towards the pink box I had seen earlier. On the top were words saying 'evidence'. I opened the lid and inside was a stone tablet with footprints on it. I know one thing for sure; Earth does not get evidence like this. This world keeps getting weirder and weirder by the minute.

Picking up the box I headed towards the place I had fallen in. Pushing away the tall grass I saw Sora, Donald and Goofy waiting with three other pink boxes like the one I found. "This one was tricky. The grass looked like a wall," I spoke up scaring them. I saw Donald about to talk but I interrupted him. "If you apologize, I will forgive you," I told him.

He gawked again. Then he grumbled, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What was that?" I asked. I knew he said it; I just wanted to hear it clearer. Get him to know that he has to apologize for me to forgive him. I understand his need to find his King, but each time I look at Alice, I imagine Piper. If Piper was in Alice's place, I'd do whatever I could to help.

"I said I'm sorry!" he yelled. Then he sighed and looked at me. "I gave it some thought and realized that I shouldn't just brush it off. I just really want to find the King. But while we search that doesn't mean we help out everybody we see, understand?" he stated, pointing a finger at me.

I nodded, answering, "Fair enough." I turned and saw Sora and Goofy laughing. Raising an eyebrow I asked, "What's the matter?"

"Sorry," Sora started, he regained himself and continued, "it's just, the way you interrupted him before you spoke, it was funny," he explained.

"Yeah. And it's hard to make Donald apologize," Goofy joined in. I smirked, knowing I made him apologize. Considering everything that's been happening, making Donald apologize is a win in my book.

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot!" Sora blurted out. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a glass orb. Instead of the one with a flame in it, this one looked like there was a mini blizzard. I picked it up and felt like my insides froze for a second. "The cat gave one to me and said to give one to you,' Sora said.

"Thanks." I smiled and he nodded. I then picked up the box I had put down. "We should probably get back. If we keep her waiting too long, she'll lose her patience." And that would not be a good thing. I still need to find Piper. I don't need some crazy queen lady chopping my head off.

"Yeah. I think we have enough evidence," Sora agreed. He picked up another box and started following me. Goofy and Donald did the same, only the latter was fumbling with his box, as he was smaller than Sora, Goofy and me.

We walked towards where we entered the forest and into the court… area. A card soldier came up to us and sneered. "Are you ready to give your evidence to the queen?" he spoke.

"Yes, we are," Sora replied.

The soldier sneered again. "Very well. Step up onto the podium," he said. Sora and me nodded our heads and obeyed. Two other card soldiers poked Donald and Goofy into what looked like a spectator podium.

The queen of Hearts (_if you can call her that_) stood up from her chair saying, "Court is now in session!" and sat back down again. "Now, defendants, show me what you found," she snarled.

I picked up two of the evidence boxes and Sora did the same, handing them to two of the guards. "There, that's the evidence to support Alice's innocence," I said.

"Well, that's certainly a lot of evidence," the queen thought, "but I'm still not impressed," she added sticking her nose into the air. On the outside, my face showed how unfair I thought that was, on the inside, I was fuming with rage. She tricked us! We went and gathered evidence like she told us to and she backed on her word! Sora must have been thinking the same thing because he was gritting his teeth. "Cards! Bring fourth my evidence!" the no good woman yelled. A card came forward holding an identical looking pink box like the one's we found.

Five cards with seven hearts drawn on them came up and picked up the boxes and ran around in a circle, making it hard to tell which box was which. Eventually, they stopped and placed the boxes in a row. "Hmm, checking all five boxes would only be a waste of time," the queen stated checking her nails. She looked back up and pointed at me. "You! Choose which box you want to present!"

I paled. I was supposed to choose the box? If I chose the wrong one, Sora, Donald, Goofy and Alice would be in danger, including me. I gulped and stepped off the podium. Sora gave me thumbs up and Donald and Goofy smiled encouragingly. Seeing how they weren't afraid of me picking the wrong one, I went towards the pink box in the middle and kicked it over. It glowed white and transformed into a Heartless, just like I suspected.

"What in the world was that?!" the queen shrieked. I smirked. She didn't even say it was a trick or anything!

"There's your evidence! Alice is innocent!" Sora grinned, pointing towards the spot the Heartless was before it disappeared.

The queen gritted her teeth and rose from her 'throne'. "Silence! I am the law here!"

_Some law you are_… I thought.

"Article 29: Anyone who defies the queen is guilty!" she yelled. I gaped at her. On Earth, I'm pretty sure that can't even be a thing… if it is, well, I'm pretty sure Yuffie and Leon wouldn't mind Piper and me staying with them…

Donald got down from his and Goofy's position. 'That's crazy!" he squawked.

"Cards! Seize them at once!" the queen-of-arrogance ordered, pointing at us. All the podiums around us disappeared and a tower appeared in the middle of the room. The Ten of Clubs pulled down a lever making Alice's cage go up way out of our reach. All of the cards surrounded Sora, Donald Goofy and me, making sure we didn't get away. "Cards! If they touch the tower, you'll lose your heads!' the queen yelled. Well, that made our job easier. I then had a plan.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy! I have a plan!" I said, gaining their attention.

"I'd like to know so we can finish this!" Donald Squawked.

Ducking under a spear and, ungracefully kicking the card over, I yelled back, "Sora! You start attacking the tower, they're obviously trying to protect it. Donald, Goofy and me will cover you!"

"Good plan!" Sora said and obeyed. He started to attack the tower mercilessly. I nodded and started shooting any card that was close enough to Sora.

After Sora struck the tower several times, he destroyed it. I let my arrow go to the card I was aiming at, but I accidentally missed and it pinned Donald's shirt to the wall. "Oh, my god! Donald, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" I gasped.

He sighed, and then glared. "If you get it out, I'll let it slide. But just this time! Next time, you're off too Traverse Town." His eyes narrowed.

I nodded, knowing that he was not joking and pulled the arrow out of the wall. I turned around to see Sora pulling back the curtain to Alice's cage. Only, Alice wasn't there.

Donald shook his head. "She must have gotten kidnapped while we were fighting," he said.

"Oh no…" I murmured. That poor girl, I have no idea why she got kidnapped. I hope we can find her.

"You fools! You were supposed to guard the prisoner as well!" the queen yelled. "Find the one who did this! I want that kidnapper and the girl back!" she continued to the cards. All the cards freaked out and started running in random directions; one even ran into the wall. It would have been funny if I weren't so sad about Alice's kidnapping.

Sora turned to face us, his face solemn. "Let's go save Alice!" he said determined. I nodded. I wanted to find this kidnapper and kick them where the sun doesn't shine!

"How about we start in the forest? We started there last time, and all of the evidence we found was mostly there," I stated. Sora, Donald and Goofy agreed and we walked out of the opening into the forest.

A cat-head didn't appear, thank the lord. Although, a flower did shoot a rock out of it's bud, almost hitting us, which was quite weird. And _then_ the Cheshire cat appeared on top of the rock, once again, scaring me. "Have you seen Alice?" Sora asked.

"Alice, no. Shadows, yes!" the cat answered. I perked up when he said shadows. By shadows, he probably means Heartless! And any Heartless needs to be stopped.

"Where did they go?" Goofy questioned, being civil.

The cat started looking in all directions. "This way? That way? Does it matter?" he said, being cryptic... _again_. "Left, right, up, down! All of them mixed up by the shadows! Go deeper in the forest into the deserted garden! You might find shadows in the upside-down room!" he finished disappearing, leaving me kind of clueless as to what he just said.

"Ugh, he's barely helping!" Sora yelled in frustration, messing up his hair. I agree with him, the cat makes no sense!

"Okay, let me see," I started saying. "He said 'Step deeper in the forest,' which is pretty self-explanatory. Then, 'into the deserted garden,' which obviously means an area that no one is there. And finally, 'You might find shadows in the upside-down room,' so, maybe he meant something that looked similar, but from a different perspective it is not similar?" I deduced. I turned around and saw Sora, Donald and Goofy staring at me intently. "What? Do I have something on my face?" I asked, confused.

Donald put his hand to his chin. "Hmm, maybe it was a good idea bringing you," he said.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"You're actually pretty smart. That will help us out of a bad situation," he explained.

"Oh, well, thank you," I said. He nodded and I turned around. "Now, let's go find that garden," I said with determination. Then I started walking, only for a big, _fat **Heartless**_ to appear! I screamed really loud (and girly) and shot an ice arrow at its feet. Sora ran up to it's back and started attacking it. I took deep breaths to calm my heart rate down. I looked around and screamed, "You think this is funny?! Come out here so I can finish you!" in fury.

"Or maybe not," Donald muttered.

I sighed. "Sorry, it's just I swear they are just trying to scare me. Have you noticed that almost everything just appears out of thin air? To me, that is not normal!" I growled. Sora and Donald started snickering. "It's not funny!" I yelled.

Sora regained his breath. "Sorry, continue with your rant."

I narrowed my eyes. "Just remember Spiky, you're next," I said with venom. "C'mon Goofy, who is the only one not laughing."

He nodded and looked back at Sora and Donald. "It was nice knowing you guys," he said laughing. Sora and Donald grimaced, knowing Goofy wasn't on their side.

"Let's go, Donald" Sora muttered. From behind me, I heard his footsteps stop. "Wait a second. Spiky?" I didn't turn as I nodded. I heard Sora grumble in distaste as he started walking again.

After minutes of awkward silence, we came across an opening in the wall. Sora frowned. "This wasn't here earlier," he said with confusion.

"Maybe this is the garden the Cheshire cat was talking about?" Goofy suggested. I nodded and walked through the opening. Inside was a long pink table with seven chairs. At the end of the table was a picture with a really sad man and rabbit.

"I guess this is the garden," Sora said looking around. I nodded.

"Oi, there's a door over here," Donald blurted out; pointing at the door he was talking about. Indeed, there was a door, leading god knows where.

"Should we check it out?" I asked, a little hesitantly.

Goofy laughed. "I guess so. This is the only place for a garden."

Donald sighed and walked through the door, Sora Goofy and me followed. The room we walked into looked a little… familiar. "Is it just me, or does this place look really familiar?" Sora spoke what was going through my head.

I looked up and gasped. "Look! It's the doorknob!" I said, pointing to said doorknob. The room that we had walked into was where we had shrunk. An image of Sora drinking the, apparently, disgusting potion appeared in my mind, and I had to hide a snicker.

"You're right! We've already been here; it's just upside-down now... How is that possible?" he asked. I turned my head to face him with a deadpanned look.

"Both me and you can summon a weapon. Those weapons can summon fire and ice. We are right now, shrunk. Both our worlds disappeared and we teleported here from a very advanced ship... Alright, I'm so done questioning logic, now!" I blurted out.

He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously. "Yeah, I can agree with you there," he said.

I rolled my eyes and walked forward when the Cheshire cat appeared. Thankfully, I didn't get scared this time. "They're hiding somewhere," he started, being cryptic, again. "And the momeraths outgrabe. Want to find the shadows? Try turning on the light…" he told us before he disappeared.

We all sighed from the cat's antics when a hoard of Heartless appeared. There were the Heartless that looked like Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, armored Heartless, fire mage Heartless, and even the big fat ones. I shot ice arrows at the feet of the fat Heartless so they couldn't move. While Sora, Donald and Goofy went up and fought the Heartless. I kept my distance as I'd rather not get in their way. I also wanted to think about what the Cheshire Cat said. He said, '_Try turning on the lights_'. I looked around the room, trying to find what he meant.

Then, I noticed the two chandeliers. Although from this angle they look like tables, we were upside down. I couldn't think of anything else they could be. I looked around myself, making sure the coast was clear before running over to the nearest one. I prepared myself before leaping and grabbing onto the side. With a heave I pulled myself up. I looked at the chandelier, contemplating what I would do. I had seen Sora set his Keyblade on fire earlier (which scared him and me quite a bit). I had gotten my fire arrows before Goofy gave me that spell. Perhaps I could set my bow on fire?

I raised my bow and put it on the chandelier. I took a deep breath before yelling, "Fire!" My whole bow set ablaze. I tried not to think about it and set the light of the chandelier on with the fire.

The Cheshire cat appeared beside me, and I was proud to say I didn't get startled. "Its still too dim. The shadows can still hide," he said.

"What can I do?" I asked.

The cat smiled at me. "One more lit lamp should force them out of the dark." He said before disappearing.

I nodded and looked over to the other chandelier. I took a deep breath before taking off into a light sprint and jumped. Because my hands were in front of me, and the slight push from jumping, I was able to grab a hold of the ledge. With a shaky breath escaping from my lips, I heaved and pulled myself up. I sighed and looked over the edge.

Sora, Donald and Goofy had defeated the Heartless and I felt a little bad for not helping them. "Yo! Sora, Donald, Goofy!" I yelled, waving my hand to get their attention. They turned around and looked at me.

"What are you doing up there?" Goofy asked, giving me a confused look.

"Well, the cat said to turn on the light, so I tried lighting this chandelier. He said to do the same to the other one." I told them.

They all nodded. Sora grinned at me and gave me a thumbs-up. "Good job!"

I smiled. Even though I wasn't the best with fighting, at least I could help them this way. I didn't want to feel like lightweight to them. "Why don't you come up here?" I suggested.

They all nodded and jumped up onto the chandelier. Although Donald needed help up because he was still really short. I looked to Sora. "Do you want to turn it on?" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, I don't mind," he replied. He walked up to the light and put his Keyblade onto it. Then, with a yell of, "Fire!" it set ablaze. I saw the cat appear on the other chandelier and turned to him.

"Good job, now its too bright for the shadows to hide," the cat said, smiling. "The shadows will appear here, but somewhere else. They might even go after that poor doorknob too," he said before disappearing. "Try using that latch over there, it'll be faster to catch the shadows if you do…"

We all nodded. I turned to the other guys. "So, we search for these shadows and find Alice, right?" I asked.

"I'm pretty sure," Goofy answered with a smile.

"What did he mean by 'They will appear here, but somewhere else' though?" Sora questioned.

"Maybe we have to go right-side up? Kind of like what he said earlier," I answered for him.

They all nodded. "That would make sense." Donald said.

"So I guess that latch will lead us up-right then?" Sora asked.

"I hope so." I replied.

We all jumped down and headed towards the latch. Although, I was a little hesitant jumping off the chandelier. I'm probably going to have to get over my fear of heights. But that isn't going to happen anytime soon though. Sora, Donald and Goofy all had to pull the leaver up at the same time. They were all breathing heavily by the time they did though.

I stared over the hole. What awaited me was a pitch, black abyss. I squeaked and hid behind Goofy. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"Its just a black abyss! Doesn't that kind of scare you?" I asked.

Sora looked a little uneasy. "Actually, that does a bit." He replied. He took a deep breath and walked towards the opening. "Oh well, I'll have to get used to it." He said before jumping down it.

"_Oh my god!_" I exclaimed. I ran forwards and looked down. "Sora, are you dead?!" I yelled down the tunnel.

"Ugh, no…" he replied. I sighed in relief. I still felt a little queasy and didn't feel like going down. I turned towards Donald and Goofy to see if they wanted to go down before me. I was suddenly _very_ terrified when I saw mischievous looks on their faces.

"Ladies first," Donald said. It took a second for it to click in about what they were about to do. I paled when I realized. But it was too late. They raised their arms back and pushed me down. I screamed bloody murder the whole way. I closed my eyes and awaited my death.

I finally hit the ground. It was softer then I though it'd be. "That didn't hurt as much as I thought it would…" I mumbled.

I heard a groan. "That's because you landed on me..." I heard under me. I yelped and quickly got off. I saw Sora lying on his stomach in pain. I giggled a little.

"Sorry Sora," I apologized.

"S'okay," he replied, still in a little bit of pain. I laughed, before yelping as I heard two thumps behind me. I sighed a little in relief when I realized it was just Donald and Goofy. Then I remembered what they did earlier. I felt my eyebrow twitch a bit in irritation as I pointed an accusing finger at them. They were already laughing. "You jerks! I could have gotten seriously injured!" I yelled.

The thing is, I couldn't help but let my lips tug a bit into a smile. Sora, Donald and Goofy made me feel welcomed. Although Donald and me were a little ruff at first, we were okay now. Honestly, I could consider them friends. They could never replace Jenna, my best friend, but I wouldn't mind them as friends. Heck, we were already bickering like friends would. I thought I would be closed off during this journey, because of losing everything I once knew, but Sora, Donald and Goofy were actually helping keeping my spirits up.

Donald and Goofy were still laughing. "Sorry, Valarie," they both said.

I smiled and shook my head. "Should we go and look for Alice now?"

They all nodded. "Honestly, I want to get out of this world." Sora said with a sigh. "That 'Queen of Hearts' lady gives me the creeps." He shuddered.

"I completely agree…" I said. We jumped off the ledge we landed on. Turns out, we were back in the queens court. We then quickly sneaked away from the guards, not wanting to see the Queen anymore them necessary.

When we arrived in the room with the doorknob, we looked around to see if we could see any Heartless. Then, Goofy pointed to the table. "Look, there's the Cheshire Cat!" he exclaimed.

Sure enough, when I looked, I could see the cat's head grinning at us. We ran over and got up onto the chair. I took a deep breath and jumped, grabbing onto the side of the table. With a heave I pulled myself up. I kept trying to calm my nerves and not look down. The chandeliers earlier weren't too high, but this table was.

The Chesire Cat stood up, grinning at us. "The shadows should begin to appear from the light. Prepare yourself, or the light just might burn you," he said, before disappearing once again. I looked around everywhere trying to see if I could spot him. Then, something moving on the ceiling caught my eye. I looked up and gasped.

A huge figure dropped from the ceiling and we all had to balance ourselves from falling over. Its head was multiple cylinders stacked upon each other. Its arms looked like something that was paper matched. In its hands were two torches that were on fire. I gulped. "You guys ready?" I asked.

"Heh… Not really," Sora replied with a nervous laugh. We all jumped down. Sora, Donald and Goofy ran towards the giant Heartless, while I ran a little ways away. I stopped running and turned around. I summoned my bow and pulled the string, an ice arrow appearing between my fingers. I then released the arrow. It shot through the air and hit the Heartless in its chest. I silently patted myself on my back for being able to hit it.

However that victory didn't last very long. The Heartless screeched an un-humanly noise. It's attention turned to me. I froze in my spot, consumed with fear. It screeched again. Then it raised its torch and a ball of light began moving towards me. It was a little too late when I realized it wasn't light, but fire.

I raised my arm, blocking my face from being hit. When the ball of fire connected with my arm, I felt horrendous amounts of pain. It burned, like huge needles stabbing into my arm and hot magma melting it.

As of now, all I could hear was my own _agonizing_ screams.

**AN: ****_Hello! I just want to say, I am SO sorry for the late chapter. I feel bad. T^T I have no excuse. I did recently start grade 7, which is at the high school, so I had to get into a new routine. The good thing is, my best friends are there to help._**

**_Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, including that little cliffhanger there, hehe. See you later!_**


	6. Chapter 5: Face the Reality

**Uh... I'm sorry? *Ducks behind couch* Please don't kill me! I had actually finished this chapter a week after I posted my last one, but my beta had been really busy, and I eventually said I'll do it myself. I read this over like, five times. (If they're are any mistakes, I'm sorry.) But I'm here now!**

**I want to say that I don't actually own the first game, so I may make some mistakes because I am using Youtube. If they're are any, please notify me!**

**On another note, I just want to say how grateful I am to everyone who has Followed, Favorited and Reviewed. You have no idea idea how happy it makes me. I didn't think this fanfiction would do so well. **

**So anyway, here it chapter 5!**

_**Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, Sora and Kairi would have kissed by now, just saying.**_

* * *

I screamed in _pure__**, agony**_. It hurt so much! Tears were prickling in my eyes, and I bit down a sob of pain, but one whimper escaped my lips. I cradled my arm to my chest and looked at it. I cringed in pain, and from the sight.

The spot where the fireball hit me was burning red; skin was even starting to fall off. It was a disgusting sight to look at, and I turned away, trying not to vomit.

I heard footsteps and Sora kneeled down before me. "Valerie, are you-" he cut himself off, looking at my arm. "Alright, obviously not okay," he said, cringing. He opened one of his pockets and pulled out what looked like blue, sparkling water. I realized it was a potion. "Here," he said, handing it to me.

I grabbed the potion with my other arm and drank it. I sighed in relief. I looked down at my arm. The potion didn't fully heal it, but it numbed the pain a great deal and it wasn't as red anymore. "Thanks Sora," I said, smiling at him in gratitude.

He smiled back. "No problem." He smirked and ran back to where Donald and Goofy were fighting the Heartless. I noticed my bow beside me and picked it up, trying not to bother my arm _too_ much. I took a small, shaky breath and stood up. In Sora, Donald and Goofy's direction, they looked like they were doing okay.

Sora struck the Heartless's leg. It roared and stared down at him. It raised its leg, then stomped it to the ground. The force caused Sora to stumble and fall. The Heartless then raised its leg again. I reacted quickly, pulling the string to my bow back and firing an ice arrow at its face. It screeched again, and backed up, giving space for Sora to get up and run back a bit. "Thanks Val!" he yelled to me.

"You're welcome!" I yelled back. I lowered my arm, but screamed, "Gah!" by the movement. I took a couple of breaths. The pain was bearable now. I began running behind the Heartless. "Guys! Once I catch its attention, throw ice at it!" I said, trying to be a little quiet so the Heartless couldn't hear it.

They nodded, indicating they heard me. I took a deep breath. "Hey, Ugly!" I yelled. The Heartless heard me, turning around. I was frozen in fear, but as soon as screeched, I broke out of it. "Bet you can't catch me!" I yelled, besides the fact that my heart was beating really fast, and on the inside I was asking myself why I was doing this. "_Its for Piper, Its for Piper…_" I kept repeating in my head.

As soon as it began walking towards me, Sora and Donald assaulted it with Ice. It screeched in pain. I thought that I should begin helping, when it fell to the ground. It raised its head, only to fall once again. A large heart flew out of its body, and it disappeared. The body disappeared along with it as particles of yellow light. I sighed in relief. "Thank god…" I mumbled. My arm began hurting, and I cringed.

"Here Valerie," Donald said. He walked over and raised his staff over my arm. "Cure," he said. The area glowed green. My arm returned to its original color, and the skin peeled off, making me turn away in disgust.

"Thanks Donald," I said. He nodded, smiling. I then jumped a bit when I heard a loud yawn behind me. I grumbled, realizing it was just the doorknob.

"Ugh… What is with all this noise!? How am I supposed to get any sleep!" he yelled. He yawned, however I saw a light shining in the shape of a keyhole through his mouth. It only kept glowing brighter.

Sora exclaimed in surprise when his Keyblade reacted, lifting up to face the keyhole shaped light. A white beam shot through the air from his Keyblade and to the keyhole. I heard a locking noise, and the doorknob closed his mouth. "What the heck was that?!" Donald yelled in surprise.

"Did you guys hear that? It sounded like something closing," Sora said.

"Yeah I did too," I replied.

A bright, blue block fell in front of us. Goofy picked it up and inspected it. "This gummi block is different from the other," he told us. He put it into one of his pockets. "I'll hold onto this if we have a use for it," he said. I nodded, feeling rather tired. I realized I hadn't eaten or slept for a while. I've been running on pure adrenaline.

I heard a laugh behind us. I turned around to see the Cheshire Cat smiling from his perch on top of the table. "Remarkable. You are quite the heroes," he began. "If you're still searching for Alice's whereabouts, she's gone." I felt my heart sink. "She has disappeared. Just like the shadows, deep within the dark…" he finished. He disappeared.

"Oh no…" Sora mumbled. "Poor Alice…"

Donald turned to face us. His face was filled with a small bout of guilt. "Let's head back to the gummi ship. There is nothing else here. We just might find Alice in another world," he said.

I tried to smile a bit. "You're right."

"Let's head back to where we first came here. That's usually where we can teleport back," Donald said. He turning around and began walking.

Sora and me both groaned. "Not again…" Sora grumbled. We began following Donald and Goofy. I sighed.

As we began walking, I yawned. Goofy smiled at me. "Tired, are you?" he asked.

I nodded. "Well, all of this has been a shock to me. I haven't eaten and we've been going nonstop," I told him. I honestly felt like crashing. It was hard to keep my eyes open.

"You can go to sleep once we get to the ship," he said. I suddenly began walking faster, excited by the thought of a comfy bed and sleep. I heard Sora, Donald and Goofy laugh.

Once we reached the area where we first appeared here, I saw an area that was glowing green softly. I pointed it out. "What is that?" I asked.

Donald smirked. "I placed that when we got here. It is keyed to our presence, and only the people it is keyed to will it activate for," he said. It was obvious to me that he was really proud of himself for it.

I raised an eyebrow. "Wow, that is pretty impressive."

We all stepped onto the space. "Get ready," Donald warned us.

I sighed. "Here we go again…"

As I thought, I still hated teleporting with a passion. Although, it was a bit better than last time. When we landed, I grabbed onto one of the seats in the control room to balance myself from tipping over. After my head stopped spinning, Goofy turned to face Sora and me. "We should all head to bed. It's been a long day," he said.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "You can say that again."

"Just pick a room. That will be yours the rest of the journey," Donald said, walking down the stairs with a yawn.

Sora and me agreed on rooms, although they were the exact same. Walking in, I felt like adding a few touches to it, seeing how bare it was. To my left was a dresser, reminding me that I would need some clothes. In front of me was a bed up against the wall. Over the bed was a large circular window.

I flopped onto the bed with a sigh. "Some day this turned out to be…" I mumbled. I raised my arm in front of my vision. I winched, thinking of the pain I was in back then. Was this my reality now, to face death in the face everyday? I felt tears prickle my eyes. The tears soon began to fall down my cheeks. I hiccupped. I just wanted to hold Piper again, to tell her everything will be all right. To see my mom's generous smile, those always made me feel safe and warm. To laugh at Jenna's pranks, and watch everyone try to figure out who did it. I just wanted everything to go back to normal! I felt like screaming to the sky, asking whatever sick, cruel gods made my life this way.

I wiped away my tears, and focused my breathing. I would _not cry. _Piper needed me. She needed me to be strong for her. If I need to fight thousands of Heartless, so be it. I would find her again.

I took off my jacket and boots. Pulling the covers over my body, I closed my eyes. Thoughts of Mom, Jenna and Piper lulled me to sleep.

* * *

POV change: Sora

Sora yawned as he walked into the kitchen. The smell of breakfast assaulted him. Goofy turned around from the stove and smiled at him. "Good morning, Sora!" he cheered happily.

Sora waved and replied, "Good morning."

"Would you mind waking Valerie up for me? She should be having breakfast too," Goofy said, turning back to the stove.

Sora nodded. "Sure," he replied.

He walked out, and then stopped in front of Valerie's door. He raised a fist and knocked. He waited a few moments, but received no answer. He knocked again, but this time asking, "Val?" He stilled received no answer. He sighed, silently hoping to god she wouldn't kick him and opened the door.

Valerie was lying on her bed, turned away from him. Sora walked towards her and shook her shoulder. "Val, time to get up," he said.

She groaned. She raised her covers over head. "Go away Pip," she grumbled.

Sora smiled. "Last time I checked, I'm a guy. Get up."

Valerie moved the blanket. She peaked one eye at him. Her eyes widened in realization. She sat up, yawning. "Sorry about that Sora," she said, rubbing the back of her head, smiling in embarrassment.

Sora shrugged. "That's alright. C'mon, Goofy's is making breakfast," he said, grinning.

She smiled in anticipation. "Alright. I'll be there in a bit." He nodded and walked out. Valerie yawned, stretching her arms over her head. She turned her head to her window and looked out, smiling at the beautiful atmosphere.

* * *

POV change: Valerie

I walked into the kitchen. I had taken a quick shower, and I was quite happy that I was able to dry my hair using my fire spell. "Good morning Donald, Goofy," I said, sitting down in one of the chairs at the table.

"Good morning Valerie!" Goofy cheered back.

Donald just waved at me, his face stuffed into the crook of his other arm. "Turns out, Donald's not a morning person," Sora said, laughing.

Donald raised his head. He had an annoyed expression on his face. "I just don't understand who can wake up so early!" he said in irritation. Sora and me just laughed, causing him to grumble.

Goofy sat a plate of breakfast in front of me. "Thanks Goofy!" I said.

He nodded, smiling. "No problem."

Sora took a bite. "Wow, you're actually a good cook," he said.

I took a bite as well. "Yeah, this is really good Goofy!"

"Thank you," he said, smiling.

I continued eating. "Sweet, food…" I mumbled in happiness. Sora and Goofy laughed. "Hey, I haven't eaten anything in awhile!" I said, laughing along with them. If I was correct, the last thing I ate was a stupid sandwich as lunch. That was a day ago.

After we finished eating, and Donald got up enough to keep up in a conversation, we headed towards the control room. "How long should it take to reach the next world?" I asked.

"If we don't have much trouble with Heartless ships, hopefully an hour," Donald answered. He turned to face me. "So that can give me time to teach you Cure, while Goofy can teach Sora how to shoot down Heartless ships." I nodded in anticipation. This was going to be great!

I completely stood corrected. After a long _grueling _hour, I was exhausted. I could now heal minor injuries, but nowhere_ near_ the level Donald was at. I sat down in my seat; drinking an ether Donald gave me. "We should be there in about 10 minutes," Donald said, looking at a screen.

I nodded. "You know, Donald, I've been thinking about something," I spoke up.

Donald turned to face me, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?" he asked.

"Well," I began, "I've been told that when someone loses their heart, they become a Heartless. But your heart is an organ. It doesn't have a significant use besides keeping your body alive by pumping blood through your body. So, why do you turn into a Heartless when you lose your heart?" I asked.

He nodded. "That is a very good question. However, that isn't the heart we are talking about." He must have seen my confused face, because he continued. "It isn't an object, more like an essence. It is you're emotions, personality and being, like your soul. Once you lose that, you are nothing. Your soul is what makes you, you. Without that, you disappear."

"I see," I said, nodding. That made complete sense. "Thanks for answering my question." He nodded, turning back to the screen. I closed my eyes, trying to get some rest. I wanted to be ready to fight in the next world. I wanted to get stronger. I did _not _want to be a damsel in distress.

I must have dosed off, because Goofy was shaking my shoulder saying, "We're at the next world Valerie." I nodded, rubbing at my eyes in tiredness.

"What is it called?" Sora asked.

"Someplace called Olympus Coliseum in Thebes," Donald answered. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Why did that sound familiar…?

"Wait… you're making it sound like a place, not a world," Sora said in confusion.

"That is because I'm talking about a place _in _the world. We are always directed to the place where Heartless gather most. Worlds can be a variety of different sizes," Donald answered.

I was still thinking why Thebes sounded so _familiar. _It was on the tip of… my…tongue… Wait. My eyes widened.

"No way…" I mumbled.

Sora turned to face me. "Uh… Are you okay Val?" he asked

Donald and Goofy faced me as well. I gulped. "Well… You see…" I laughed nervously. They all raised an eyebrow. "I think I've heard of this place before…" I finally said.

"What? How?" Donald asked.

I sighed. "I guess I haven't exactly been truthful…"

"Why do you say that?" Goofy said.

"Well…" I started. "Before I met Donald and Goofy, I had already known about them." They gasped. "There is this company in my world, called Disney. They make stories. Mickey Mouse is one of the most iconic ones."

"How does your world know of other worlds?" Donald said in confusion.

I shook my head. "I have no idea. Honestly, I just thought they were all stories. I never even thought they were other worlds." Questions were raging all over in my head. Obviously Donald and Goofy had never heard of this before. So _how _did Disney know of other worlds, and why for that matter?

"So I'm guessing that this world sounded familiar to you because of these stories?" Sora said.

I nodded. "That's it. I haven't heard about it in awhile, so my knowledge is kind of rusty."

Donald rubbed his chin. "This actually might help us! With your knowledge, we can know what we will be up against!" he said.

I nodded. "I most likely won't know all the worlds. I didn't remember Wonderland." I felt stupid now. I _seriously _did not put two and two together and realize that was from Alice in Wonderland. Sure, I had never seen the movie, but I still felt like banging my head against a wall.

"That's alright! At least you can help us out when you can," Goofy said, smiling. I smiled back.

"Alright, get ready to teleport!" Donald exclaimed. My good mood vanished. I sighed. I would eventually have to get used to it.

When we landed, I nearly fell over without something to balance myself. I held my head and waited for the world to stop spinning. After it did, I looked around myself. The area did indeed look like a coliseum, with all the pillars and carving in the stones. I saw doors and walked forward, opening them with Sora, Donald and Goofy following.

We had walked into a room. I looked around and saw movement. I then saw what had caught my eye.

Oh, my, God.

Standing there was Phil from the movie Hercules! So my hunch was correct. Now I was filled with more questions. Obviously, I shouldn't know about these worlds, but I do! How, and why did Disney know about these worlds? I hoped I could find answers during our journey.

"Um…" Sora said, raising a really confused eyebrow at Phil. I could understand why. If I didn't already know what he was, I'd do the same thing.

I could hear Phil sighing in relief. He didn't turn to face us though. "Good thing you're here. Help me set up, won't ya? Move that pedestal away for me, I have to do other things for the games," he said, pointing to said pedestal.

Sora obeyed, although he was still really confused. He took a deep breath, and began pushing the pedestal. It didn't even budge. Sora stopped, breathing heavily. "This thing weighs a ton!" he exclaimed. He walked back to Phil saying, "I can't move it, its way too heavy!"

Phil froze. "What? Since when have you been such a-" he cut himself off when he saw us. "Oh, wrong person. What are you kids doing in here?" I was about to reply when he jumped down and walked towards us. "This is the world famous Coliseum, so only heroes allowed." I frowned at his words. Why couldn't we join the games? We couldn't exactly prove ourselves then, could we? "I'm busy preparing for the games, so run along runts." He said, going right in Donald's face. I was full blown out scowling now. He wasn't even giving us a chance!

"That's not fair!" I exclaimed.

He shook his head. "Look, Heroes are coming all over the world to fight monsters and show their strength."

Donald crossed his arms and stuck his beak in the air. "There are heroes standing right in front of you!" he said.

Goofy nodded and placed his hands on Sora's shoulders. "Yeah. And He's a hero chosen by the Keyblade!" he said. Sora smiled uncomfortably. I don't think he was used to that title yet.

"And we're heroes too!" Donald bragged, smirking.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed. I wanted to show this guy you didn't need to be big and muscular to be a hero!

Phil began laughing. "Heroes? Those two runts?!" He started laughing harder.

Sora scowled. "Why are you laughing? We've fought a bunch of monsters!" he exclaimed.

"And we defeated them all, thank you very much!" I threw in.

Phin finished laughing and turned to the pedestal. "Well, if you can't even move this tiny thing…" he began pushing it. "You can't call yourself…" He started heaving. I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow, smirking. "A hero!" he finished, falling to the ground, taking in deep breaths. I tried to hide my snicker behind a cough. Sora caught on to it, and he smirked at me.

Phil stood up heaving. "Alright, I'll give you that. It takes a lot more than I thought to move this thing. Let's see what you can do in my trial." He said, scowling.

"Heck yeah!" I said excited. I wanted to get stronger, and this would help.

Phil raised a skeptical eyebrow. "This trial is tough. Think you have what it takes?" he asked.

Both Sora and me nodded. "We'll show you we can be heroes!" Sora said, excited.

We had followed Phil into a large stadium. He pointed to the bleachers. "You guys can go sit over there. The kid will stay here and try the trial." I nodded and began walking to the bleaches. "And girl, I want to see what you've got after him, alright?" he shouted to me. I nodded, swallowing thickly. I wasn't sure if I would pass. I wasn't _too _good right now. But I wanted to get better, so I guess I had to try.

"The rules are pretty straight forward. Bust open all the barrels within the time limit!" Phil yelled over to Sora. Sora nodded, ready to start. "Ready? Go!"

Holy, Sora was _fast. _He quickly cut through the barrels. He must have done a lot of things like this at his home. Sure, Mom always made me stay in shape, making me go to track and field and things like that, but I was pretty sure I couldn't be as quick as Sora. My determination went even higher. Sora was almost done cutting through the barrels and Doanld, Goofy and me all cheered him on.

Soon enough, Sora had finished his trial. Phil looked down on his watch. "Not bad." He turned to face me. "You're up next." My stomach lurched. Was it just me or was it _really _hot out?

I turned to face Sora, Donald and Goofy. Sora and Goofy gave me thumbs up, and Donald smiled. I took a deep breath, and tried to calm my nerves.

I summoned my bow and took a stance, preparing myself. "Ready?" Phil started. "Go!"

I quickly pulled back my bow and summoned a fire arrow. These barrels were made of wood, so they would catch ablaze easily. They were in bunches, so if I shot one, it would catch fire and affect the others. I released my arrow and as I wanted, all of them set ablaze.

I repeated this process. I had to take running jumps to get up onto the ledges. Although some of the barrels were hidden behind corners, so I had to quickly run around, shooting any that I fell upon.

Eventually I had finished. I was breathing a little hard, but I was mentally cheering that I hadn't missed any shots. "Alright. 5 seconds to go. Not bad for someone who uses a bow for a weapon," Phil said. I smiled, happy that I had passed and gotten complemented for it. "You know, you kids ain't that bad."

Sora placed his hands behind his head, smirking. "Guess we can enter the games now," he said.

I nodded. "Yeah! I'm pumped for 'em!" I exclaimed, excited.

Phil shook his head. "Afraid not."

I gasped, appalled. "Wha?!"

Sora did the same thing. "Why not?"

Phil held up two fingers. "Two words for you kids: You guys aren't heroes!" I scowled again. Not only was he being a jerk, but he also didn't know his numbers. "Here, if you want to become a real hero, start by mastering this spell." He handed Sora and me a ball, filled with a storm. As I touched it, I felt my insides feel like they spazmed. "Now I have to finish preparing for the games. I'll see you around." Phil then walked off, muttering about what he had left to do.

I sighed. "I guess there is no other way to persuade Phil." I said, crossing my arms and frowning. They gave me confused looks. "I know from the story." They nodded.

"Awe man, this sucks," Sora sighed, placing his hands behind his head once again. "I wanted to fight."

"I guess we should search around to see if we can find any Heartless," I spoke up, itching for something to let my frustration out on.

We had walked back to where we had entered the world; I looked around, trying to spot any Heartless. I suddenly stiffened when I heard a voice laughing behind us. I quickly turned around, gasping. In front of me was Hades. He had always been one of my favorite Disney villains, but meeting him in real life was different. Here, he could harm me. "Rather a stubborn old geezer, ain't he?" Hades said, looking at us.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Donald asked, raising an eyebrow. I was on my guard. I wasn't sure what Hades was planning.

Hades held up his hands in surrender. "Hold on, duck boy, I'm not here to cause you any harm." _Yet, _I finished in my head silently. "You guys want to enter the games, right?" I raised a skeptical eyebrow, wondering why he was being so friendly. He walked behind Sora and placed a hand on his shoulder. I had to keep hold a laugh escaping from my lips from the _major _height difference. "Well then, get a load of this," Hades said. A light shone from Hades hand and a slip of paper appeared.

Sora raised an eyebrow, reading it. "An entry pass into the games?" he asked, gasping. I gasped too, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. Why was Hades giving us a pass?

Hades laughed. "It's all yours now runt. Break a leg, I'll be betting on you kids," he said, walking away, waving his hand.

Sora, Donald and Goofy faced me. "Do you know who he was?" Goofy asked.

I frowned, crossing my arms. "That was Hades, Lord of the Underworld. He was the villain in the story," I answered. They all gasped.

Sora looked at the pass in his hands. "Why would he give us a pass then?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No idea. At any rate, we should be cautious." They all nodded, agreeing with me.

Sora smiled. "At least we can enter the games now," he said, excitement seeping from his voice.

I smiled back. "I can't wait to see Phil's face!"


	7. Chapter 6: Don't look Back

**Disclaimer: I am committed to four things. My story, food, sleep and doing my work last minute. You think I'd be able to own Kingdom Hearts? **

* * *

Phil stuttered, staring at the ticket in his hand in shock. "Wha? How did you kids get this?!"

I laughed. "We have our ways…" I said cryptically, grinning like the Cheshire Cat that made me so angry. I wanted to show him that size didn't matter. He even admitted that we were good. He was just letting his pride get to him. I heard Sora and Goofy snickering behind me.

Phil sighed. "I have no idea how you got this, but I guess I'll have to let you join the games… We'll start with the preliminaries," he said, reluctance entrancing within his voice. Sora and I grinned.

"Awesome!" we both exclaimed.

"I'm warning you, there are some weird guys who entered the games," Phil warned, giving us all a skeptical look.

Sora gave a thumbs up. "We can handle 'em!" he said enthusiastically. I hope I wasn't going to in over my head by entering these games…

After the games had begun, we had been waiting for about an hour. We had talked for a bit before that got boring and we sat around doing our own little things. I was pacing nervously, biting my nails in worry. Sure, I could be… competitive at times, but I could actually get seriously injured in these games. I was starting to regret my decision.

"By all the pacing you're doing, you'll wear out the ground!" Sora laughed, placing his hands behind his head. I glared at him.

"You do realize we could get hurt in the games, right?" I asked, my eye twitching.

"Yeah, I know that. But I also know that we'll do fine! Plus, if we want to quit, we can at any time," he said, grinning.

I sighed. "I guess you're right," I grumbled, running a hand through my hair. I guess all I could do was try my best…

Phil walked in, smiling at us. "You're up," he said.

"Alright!" Sora cheered. I smiled, rolling my eyes at his enthusiasm.

"Good luck!" Phil said as we walked into the arena. I had to block the glare from the sun with my hands and wait for my eyes to adjust. The sound of cheering was really loud, and I noticed all the people in the stands. I gulped, hoping I wouldn't mess up. I then noticed our opponent, and took a defensive stance, bringing out my bow and summoning a fire arrow.

In front of us were a four Soldiers and three Blue Rhapsody. Jiminy had told me the names of the Heartless we had encountered in Wonderland. These guys summoned ice, so fire would be my best bet.

"Sora and Goofy take out the soldiers while Donald and I defeat the Rhapsody?" I suggested. They all nodded.

"Are both teams ready?" an announcer shouted. We nodded, while the Heartless in front of us didn't do anything, just stared at us hungrily. The announcer must have taken this as an answer, because he yelled, "Alright!" I took a running stance, readying for the fight. "Three." I took a deep breath. "Two." I started at the Heartless, ready to pummel them. "ONE!"

Sora and Goofy quickly ran towards the Soldiers, hacking at them. Donald and I went to opposite sides, a little farther away. I pulled back the string to my bow. "Ready, Donald?!" I yelled.

"When you are!" he yelled back.

"FIRE!" The fire summoned from our weapons quickly got rid of the 3 Heartless. Sora then quickly finished off the one he was working on with a powerful slash. I smiled and ran over to the group.

"Good work, guys!" I said, grinning.

Sora smirked. "Well, what'd ya expect?" he asked, causing me to laugh.

The crowd was applauding, and I smiled, waving at them while we walked out of the arena. Phil was waiting for us, giving a critical eye. "Not bad, kids. You're still not heroes though."

I laughed. "Admit it. You're impressed," I said, grinning at him.

He scowled. "Ha, you wish!" he replied, although I could see a hint of a smile on his face. I then noticed a man walk past us. He wore a raggedy torn cloak and had blond, spiky gravity defying hair. I shivered as his blue as practically _stared _into my _soul. _"Looks to me that he'll be a tough opponent. You knows, maybe you'll face him?" Phil stated.

I shivered again. "I hope not. He would probably stomp on me like a bug," I said. They all laughed, and I pouted. "It's not funny guys!"

I distantly heard the announcer speaking about the next match. "Looks like you're up," Phil spoke.

As we faced our opponent, I sized them up. There were ten Shadows and once again, three Blue Rhapsody. "Ready? Go!"

Just like last time, Sora and Goofy quickly ran towards the Heartless, slashing at them, or, in Goofy's case, smashing at them. I pulled back my string, and fired a fire arrow. The Rhapsody I shot screeched, disappearing. The one beside it made a strange noise, glaring at me. It suddenly lurched towards me. I yelped, running. Dang! I wish I had a weapon where I could do something about a situation like this!

Sora ran over, slashing at the Heartless. I sighed. "Thanks, Sora," I said, slightly put off that he had to save me.

Sora grinned. "No problem."

* * *

I groaned, moving my arms in attempt to lessen my sore muscles. I was pretty exhausted, fighting all these Heartless. How they were actually able to sign up, I'll never know. However, these fights were helping me get better, so that's a plus. I took a small potion from my pocket and drank it. I instantly felt refreshed.

As he walked up to Phil, he smiled at us. "Say, you kids sure are surprisingly great! I wish he was here to see you fight…" Phil said, trailing off.

I raised an eyebrow at Phil as Sora questioned, "Who are you talking about?"

Phil smirked. "The mighty hero, Hercules. Trained by yours truly. Too bad he's visiting his father, or he'd be able to see you kids fight," he stated. I smiled, noticing how he was actually complimenting us.

"Would the last contestants please step forward," the announcer said. I turned around and noticed that the man from earlier was stepping up. "Aw man, I jinxed it," I wined. The guys laughed again, causing me to sigh.

As we stepped onto the arena, I felt nervous. As I took a defensive stance, I was silently praying that he wouldn't _completely _turn me to ash. "Fight!"

While Sora and Goofy ran over to fight him, Donald and I stayed back again. I used blizzard to stick his feet to the ground so it could give Sora and Goofy a chance to strike him. It only lasted for about five seconds before he broke free, so the guys had to get as many hits as they could.

Suddenly, the man did a dash, and he was so fast, he was a blur. I looked around frantically, trying to pinpoint where he went. I felt a shiver run down my spine, and I quickly turned around. The man stood there, looking at me with cold eyes. He turned his sword, and knocked me back in the stomach with the handle of it. I flew off my feet from the strike, and rolled on the ground.

I wheezed, the wind knocked out of me. God, did it _hurt. _I held my stomach as I slowly rose to my knees. I closed one of my eyes in pain, glaring at the man with the other one. I could've _swore _I saw guilt flash in his eyes, but as soon as I saw it, it was gone.

I grabbed my bow, which had fallen right beside me. I raised in, and cast heal. I sighed in relief once it numbed the pain. I got to my feet, cautious, and looking around to make sure he didn't use the same trick. I spotted him, and pulled back the string to my bow, then released it. Just like the other times, it stuck his feet to the ground, causing Sora and Goofy to quickly run it and attack. I wasn't going to actually _shoot_ him. I wasn't going to kill anybody today, thank you.

The man huffed, falling to one knee. He took in a couple of deep breaths, and I silently cheered, believing we beat him. However, that was short lived as he slowly got back one his feet. I sighed, getting ready to continue fighting him, when suddenly a huge, _freaking, __**paw, **_stepped on him! I gasped, trailing the paw to look at the attacker, and saw a dog with three heads! This was Cerberus.

"How the heck did that thing get into the arena?!" I yelled, pulling back an arrow, terrified. The beast roared, so loud I had to clamp my hands over my ears in an attempt to muffle the noise. It practically glared at Sora, Donald, Goofy and me, before raising its hind legs to begin charging at us. I closed my eyes tightly, awaiting the world of pain I was about to experience. However, it never came. I opened one of my eyes to see why the dog hadn't attacked us yet. A heavily muscled man was standing in front of its chest, blocking it. This must have been Hercules!

"Herc!" Phil yelled in worry and relief.

Hercules grunted at the weight he was pushing back, but turned to Phil. "Get them out of here, Phil! It isn't safe!" he yelled to the satyr.

We started to run, but I looked back at Hercules in worry. He was breathing deeply. What if he couldn't handle that thing?

As we stepped into the lobby, I took in beep breaths to control my breathing. Phil was pacing back and forth in worry. "That was Cerberus, the Lord of the Underworld's guard dog. Herc should be able to handle him quickly," he said, trying to persuade and calm himself down. A crash and a muffled yell resounded to the lobby. Phil looked at the entrance to the arena in worry. "Then again, even Herc isn't invincible…"

Sora and I looked at each other. We silently made an agreement and started heading back into the arena. "Wait, you kids aren't thinking about fighting Cerberus, are ya?!" Phil must have seen our hard, determined stares, because he gasped. "This fight isn't for play! You're practically asking for a death wish!"

"Someone needs our help. I'm not scared," I told him, my gaze not faltering, despite the fear that ebbed in my stomach.

Sora nodded at my statement. "You can decide if this makes us hero material or not," he said.

Phil sighed. "Alright. Good luck, kids." We nodded, and smiled, running into the arena. Goofy followed us immediately, but I heard a sigh before Donald did as well.

"I have two words of advice for you," Phil said. "Attack!" I sighed. That was one word, idiot…

Cerberus was gargantuan. I could see Hercules backed into a corner, holding the unconscious man. Hercules was panting, I could see. "Hey, mutt!" Sora yelled beside me. I stiffened a bit in fear when Cerberus turned to face us, growling with drool dripping from his jaws and fangs that could easily rip me apart in seconds. Oh, great, with this journey, my thoughts began to turn morbid…

I could practically _feel _Sora regretting taunting the dog. "Uh… We all scatter?" he asked, his voice shaky, and slightly high.

"Yeah… Good plan…"

And in about two seconds flat, we were all scattered throughout the arena. Donald and I jumped up onto the stands, while Sora and Goofy stayed on the ground. I kept trying to shoot fire arrows, but the damn dog was so _fast. _He could control freaking _fireballs _for goodness sakes. How in the world did he do that?!

We were able to get quite a few hits in though. Cerberus was favoring his other legs beside the right paw. Sora was able to get a good hit on his injured paw, and the beast roared. Once again, I clamped my hands over my ears in attempt to muffle the noise. He growled, and raised his front paws up, before slamming them down. I was a little ways away, and I stumbled to my knees. I looked up to see Sora fly into a pillar. Oh, _god. _I quickly got up, but sighed in relief when Sora slowly stumbled to his feet.

I ran to his side. "You okay?" I asked in worry.

"Just peachy…" he replied. Good. If he could still be sarcastic, he was… _okay, _to put it lightly. I quickly cast a heal spell. It wasn't as good as Donald, but it was _definitely _better than nothing. "Thanks."

I didn't have much time to reply, I just wanted to defeat Cerberus and then sleep in a nice comfy bed. The beast roared once again, and I began running, firing ice and fire arrows one right after the other. Each time one hit (which I'm ashamed to admit, didn't happen often) Cerberus growled, looking around for me, but I always ducked behind a pillar, my heart beating like a drill and my breathing fast and unsteady.

Suddenly, all went quiet. This was strange, Cerberus was gigantic, and he _must _have made at least small noises. I furrowed my eyebrows, deciding to poke my head around to see if maybe we defeated him. Oh, how wrong I was.

"Uh… hi…?" I said meekly, starting right into Cerberus' _6 _blood red eyes. Oh, god…

Cerberus growled, drool dripping from his fangs. _Oh lord, _those _fangs. _I decided that if I stayed here, I would die, at least I could make a small chance. I ran for it.

From afar, where it was safe, a girl screaming bloody murder and running from a gigantic three headed dog would probably look pretty comical. Yeah, laugh your heads off. _I _did not find it funny. "Guys, do something!" I yelled, praying to every god I knew, (besides Hades, the freaking owner of the dog), they could help.

I suddenly heard Cerberus howl in pain. I continued to run before actually stopping and turning around. Sora and Donald had attacked each of his hind paws, and he was limping. He wined, and slowly began limping towards an opening, leaving the arena. I huffed, falling to my back, laying there and closing my eyes. I heard three pairs of footsteps and then Sora asking, "Uh… Val?"

I didn't answer, instead raising my index finger to say, 'give me a moment.' As I regained my breath, they waited, laughing a bit. Finally, I sat up, sighing. "Welp, that was enough action for me today," I said, rubbing my sore muscles.

* * *

"And thus, I do hereby dub thee, Junior heroes," Phil said, reading off a paper. I silently laughed. Did we seriously have to go through this whole, knighting thing? "You may now have privileges to enter the games as you wish-"

Donald, who had his chest puffed out earlier, interrupted Phil saying, "Wait a second. What do you mean _Junior_ heroes?!" I laughed, trying to hold it back.

Phil sighed. "You _rookies _still do not understand what the term hero means." I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he meant.

"So, uh, what does it mean?" Goofy asked.

Hercules smiled. "Well, that is something you will have to discover for yourself," he said. "The same way I figured it out."

Sora smirked. "Piece of cake! We can prove ourselves by winning the games!" he said, pumping his fist in the air. I laughed. His enthusiasm was kind of contagious.

Phil shook his head. "Afraid not, we have to clean up and fix the arena before the games will open again." Oh well, these games did help me significantly.

"That's alright," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

We began to walk out, and Sora exclaimed, "See you later!" waving to the duo.

"Valerie," Phil called out. I turned around, curious as to what Phil wanted. "This is for you," he said, reaching behind the pedestal he was standing on and taking out a bundle of cloth. I grabbed the bundle, slightly suspicious. When I opened it, I gasped.

Inside the bundle was a long sword. It wasn't very fancy or anything, but I was still impressed. The blade was quite sharp, and I'm sure if my finger touched it, it would cut me. The handle was a very old style, slightly reminding me of The Master Sword from Legend of Zelda. All in all, I was memorized. "Phil, I-I don't know what to say," I stuttered, shocked that he would give this to me.

Phil waved me off. "It's a gift. I noticed that having a bow as your only weapon may not be best." I nodded, remembering when Sora had saved me earlier.

"Thanks so much, Phil!" I exclaimed, grinning like a kid in a candy store.

Phil smiled back. "You're welcome, kid."

As we began walking back to the teleportation spot, I waved at them. "Bye!" I said, thankful for the sword. I then strapped on the sheathe strap around my hip, and stuck the sword into it. I was freaking happy. This'll _definitely _help with my journey. I spotted the guys talking to the man we fought earlier, and I ran towards them.

"Are you okay?" I heard Sora ask.

The man nodded slightly. "I'm fine," he answered.

"So… why did you fight for Hades?" Sora questioned. Now that I thought about it, I wanted to know too. He seemed nice enough.

The man sighed, closing his eyes. "I've been searching for someone awhile now… Hades offered to help. I had tried to get rid of my urge to use the power of darkness, but it failed," the man said, standing up. I watched him with sad eyes. "I fell, lost within the darkness, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't find the light."

Sora smiled at him. "I'm sure you'll find it, just like I am. Valerie too," he said, looking at me. I smiled, nodding.

The man smirked, walking past us and ruffling Sora's hair. "Don't lose sight of your light."

"How about a rematch sometime?" Sora asked, waving to the retreating back of the man. "Win or lose, fair and square, no dark powers involved."

The man turned around, smirking. "I think I'll pass. Oh, and I apologize for hitting you earlier," he said, looking at me.

I waved him off. "That's okay. I need to toughen up anyway!" He smiled, nodding. He finally walked off. I turned to the guys. "Well, I'm ready to pass out." They laughed with me.

When we stepped on the green, teleportation area, I sighed as the horrible feeling of teleporting washed over me once again, and then it stopped. I guess I was getting used to it, didn't mean I liked it though.

"I'm going to cook us some supper," Goofy said, walking down the stairs, heading to the kitchen. It was then that I noticed how hungry I actually was.

Sora tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned around to face him. "I can teach you how to use your sword," he said. I blinked. I forgot I didn't know how to use a sword… Oops

"Thanks, it will help me a lot," I said, rubbing the back of my neck and smiling at him in gratitude.

The next hour was Sora teaching me the basics of how to use a sword. I wasn't good as him, that was a given, but I could at least fend off against those Rhapsody we fought earlier. My muscles were sore, and I was silently glaring at the brunette as we walked down to the small kitchen because he was the cause of the small bruises on my body.

We sat down and Goofy placed plates in front of us. I took a bite, and smiled. Goofy kind of reminded me of mom, just, a little denser. They were both kind, and they could cook really well.

We sat there, just talking for a while. Sora told me about his home. It was a tropical world, that was usually hot and sunny, a big difference to my home, where it was freezing in the winter. Goofy told us about his home. He lived in a big castle with Donald and his king. I really felt like visiting my new friend's homes. Jiminey had also given us the names of the Heartless we had fought so far, as well as reading us his journal. He had a good sense of humor, like when he wrote about us falling into the black pit or when I stared death in the face.

After supper, I went to my room to sleep. I was _tired._ I wasn't very cut out for this whole journey, but I definitely wanted to get better. I pulled the covers over my shoulders, and closed my eyes, letting blissful sleep wash over me.

* * *

_I looked around myself in fright. Everywhere I looked, pitch black emptiness awaited me. I was all alone. Alone… That horrible word frightened me. "Sora?! Donald?! Goofy?!"I yelled, hoping for someone, _anyone _to be with me. "Anybody?!"_

_Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of me. I broke into a giant smile. "Jenna!" I exclaimed, wanting to run up and hug her. She smiled back, and I expected her to say something, however, her face suddenly converted to a horrified expression. She opened her mouth, and a blood curling scream escaped her lips. Her body shrunk down and her limbs lost their color. They turned black, including her sun bleached hair, which turned into black antennas that looked like they had been broken way to many times. The Heartless that had taken Jenna's place made my blood run cold and my heart pump with fear as it stared at me with hungry, yellow eyes. _

_"__VaLeRIe… sAVe mE… HeLP… WHy AREn'T yOU SAviNg ME?!" it said in distorted, horrific voice. It reached a hand towards me, and began taking steps. I quickly stood up from where I had fallen down in fright, and began running away. _

_"__I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I muttered, tears pooling down my face. _

_"__I love you…" I stopped, my eyes widening. I quickly swirled around, gasping. Mom lay there, smiling at me in the only way she could. I tried running towards her, to warn her of the Heartless, when the exact thing I wanted to prevent happen unfolded in front of me. _

_"__NO! Stop it!" I screamed, watching as the swarm of Heartless pilled over her. I could no longer see her smiling face, or her champagne colored hair. I couldn't do _anything. _I was useless… _

_"__Val!" A sweet, angelic little voice sounded behind me. I turned around once again, hesitantly. Pip grinned at me. "Come play with me, Val!" she sang, turning around and running away. _

_"__Wait! Pip, come back!" I yelled chasing after her. Something was off though. No matter how fast or how much I ran, she just kept getting farther, and farther. "Piper! Stop! Come back, come back!"_

_"__Valerie…" This new voice was soft, but demanding. I just wanted to run away from it all. I was scared. I just wanted to see my loved ones again! Was that too much to ask for?!_

_ "__Valerie…" It kept saying. I cupped my hands over my ears in attempt to muffle the voice, running away. However, the ground around me started shaking and I fell. "Valerie." The voice said again. I wanted to block it all out._

_"__Leave me alone!" I yelled._

_"__Ugh… Val!"_

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes. I blinked a couple of times in an attempt to wash the haze that covered them. I jumped, sitting up when I heard a laugh beside me. I looked at the culprit, scowling at the brunette. "Shut up, Sora…" I muttered.

"Geez, you're a heavy sleeper. Took me five minutes to wake you up!" he exclaimed, laughing merrily.

"That's an exaggeration," I said, scowling as he was hurting my head with his laughter. "I'll have you know that I am one of the lightest sleepers." That probably wasn't true. I just wanted him to shut up.

Sora rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Not today." I shook my head at him. "Anyway, we're supposed to be in the hanger right now. We're about to hit an area with a lot of… stuff and you might fall over with the ship moving. Or that's what Donald said." I sighed.

"Alright," I said, moving the covers so I could get up and grabbing my sword sheathe.

As I sat down in my seat, I yawned, still not completely awake. "You better put a seat belt on, Valerie. Don't want you hitting your head," Goofy told me, typing away on… something. I nodded, doing as he said.

The next what felt like forever was a horrible experience. The ship flipped over so many times I lost count. I felt like throwing up, and I was grateful that I hadn't eaten earlier. My hair was a mess from the ship moving in so many ways. By the time we had gotten through the debris, I was cursing my weak stomach.

"Heya, Donald. The King may just be there!" Goofy spoke up, pointing to the world we had flown near to. Poking my head around the front chairs, I raised my eyebrow. It was quite the tropical paradise from what I could see, with giant plush green trees and waterfalls.

Donald scoffed. "In a tropical landmark like that, no way," he said, going back to the controls. "Let's just move on…"

"Hey, wait!" Sora exclaimed, causing Donald to stop. "Riku and Kairi may be there!"

"Piper too!" I added, frowning at Donald. "Can't we just search for a bit?"

"No way. We're on an important mission, I don't have time to sit around dilly dallying!" Donald shot back.

"Come on!" Sora argued. Why wouldn't he let us go?!

"I said, NO."

I growled, getting up from my seat. "I'm not just going to sit around when my sister could potentially be there," I shot, grabbing the controls. "We're _landing." _I said, glaring at him. His eyes widened.

"Wait, don't touch that!" My own eyes widened, turning around to see what the matter was. I may have… _touched the teleportation button… _

And I didn't know how to input out position…

Well… Now I understood why mom never let me touch her car…

Crap

* * *

**Hey guys! I decided on a schedule. (Hopefully, I can actually keep up with it...) I'm going to try and post every second Wednesday. So I won't post next week, but the week after. I know this is a long wait, but I'm quite busy, so I'll write the best I can. Fair bit of warning, Deep Jungle (which is the next world) is boring and basically filler, so it won't be at my best. I'll try, though.  
**

**And you guys have no idea how many times I had to do a double take when I realized how many people are reading Don't Accept Defeat. I am shocked guys. Thank you so much for your support. It makes me smile every time I see someone has enjoyed my hard work. **

**That's all for today. Adios!**


	8. Chapter 7: Why Me?

**Disclaimer: If I owned Kingdom Hearts, Chain of Memories wouldn't be as bad as it was, just saying...**

* * *

Sora and me gripped onto each other's clothes as we screamed bloody murder, staring down our doom with leafs and sticks in our hair from the tree we had fallen through.

As the tree house that was in my vision appeared closer, I kept repeating in my head, '_this is going to hurt; __**this is going to hurt**__, __**THIS IS GOING TO HURT**__!' _Right before the collision, I closed my eyes tightly and gripped the fabric in my hands harder.

The ship _must have _put a spell around Sora and me or something, because I didn't feel as much pain as _falling through the freaking __**sky**_ should have felt. Although, that didn't mean crashing through a tree house didn't have any after effects. I was currently lying on my stomach, my head spinning, and if someone were to look at my eyes, they would see swirls. Or, that's how_ I _imagined I probably looked right now.

After my head stopped spinning like it did before, I sat up, turning to the currently moaning Sora, who was rubbing his head in pain. "Ugh… My head…" He noticed me and glared. "For the record, I'm blaming you," he said. I smiled at him sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Oops?" I tried saying. Sora rolled his eyes.

"Remind me to never let you touch the controls," he muttered, shaking his head to get leafs and sticks out of his gravity defying hair. I laughed, doing the same. After said action was done, we both looked around the tree house we were in. It was old and decaying, with moss and vines almost everywhere. Smalls object were scattered throughout the hut, like toys and utensils. Pictures hung on the walls, but the humidity (which I had just noticed and begun to hate) decayed the pictures, and I couldn't really make them out. This place must have been abandoned for a long time. "Donald? Goofy?" Sora called out. I scowled slightly, thinking of the duck.

I didn't get much time to think about it as a thud sounded behind me. I turned, expecting to see the duo; however what had actually appeared made my blood run slightly cold. I stared in shock as a leopard was growling at the both of us hungrily. I hadn't enough time to get either of my weapons and the leopard swiped one of its paws, throwing us back into the wall. I gasped as the air was rushed from my lungs, and I heard Sora do the same. I quickly tried getting up, summoning my bow. The swish that sounded beside me alerted that Sora summoned his Keyblade.

"I attack it and you hit it with magic?" Sora asked.

I nodded. "Yeah."

Just like Sora's plan, he dashed up, hacking at the leopard with relentless attacks from the Keyblade. I stayed back, firing ice, fire and thunder magic whenever I could (even though the leopard was dodging most of them…). Although, my magic wasn't even _close_ to Donald, but it was all we had. I would've fought with my sword, but I wasn't that good yet, and I'd rather not die today. Plus, the leopard was too fast for my amateur fighting skills with my bow _and_ my sword.

I was starting to get worried because Sora was getting tired. I went to shoot a fireball, when nothing happened. I paled drastically, realizing I ran out of magic, and from what I knew, it takes a _long_ time before it charges up again.

The leopard knocked Sora over, and he yelled in pain, gasping quite a bit. I ran over, trying to help, but then the leopard knocked me over too.

I wasn't able to get up fast enough before the leopard had pinned both Sora and me to the ground with its massive figure. We stared in horror as it reared back, getting ready to sink its fangs into our fle-

I wasn't able to finish my _extremely _morbid thoughts before the gods _finally_ listened to me. A man had jumped in front of us, blocking the leopard with a sphere in his hands. He rustled with it for a bit, before pushing it back. The leopard roared at the man before fleeing.

I quickly got up, brushing off all the dust from my clothes. The man turned to us, and I realized just what world we were in. This was Tarzan. I never really liked the movie as a kid, and I was seriously regretting it now. But, I _did _have a reasonable excuse. I mean, he _was_ practically wearing no clothes…

"Sabor, Sabor is danger," Tarzan said.

Sora raised an eyebrow at the way Tarzan spoke. "Uh… Thanks, for saving us," he said, looking around slightly for any signs of the leopard, and I was also looking around cautiously. What was with gigantic animals hating me?!

"Thank… You…" Tarzan repeated.

"Huh?" Sora muttered. He shook his head and asked. "What is this place?"

"This place… This… Place…"

I was silently laughing at Sora's befuzzled expression. "Umm… Okaaaay…? Have you seen the others?" I decided to see how he could handle this.

Tarzan tilted his head in confusion, causing Sora to sigh, and making me laugh more. Shaking my head, I said, "We got separated from our friends. Have you seen them?"

Once again, Tarzan looked at us curiously. "Frieeeends," Sora stressed out. I could see he was obviously a little impatient.

"Friends!" Tarzan spoke.

"Right, friends!" Sora exclaimed, obviously happy we got somewhere. "There is two of 'em. The grumpy and loud one is Dona-" Sora cut himself off, and we both turned somber. I scowled again, thinking of the duck. Turning to look at each other, we had a silent conversation. We were both annoyed with him, and he wasn't exactly being a very good person. Shaking his head, Sora said, "Never mind, I'm looking for my two friends, Riku and Kairi."

"And I'm looking for a little girl, Piper," I added in.

"Look for friends… Look for girl," Tarzan said.

I nodded, smiling. "That's right," I said, turning to face Sora. For some reason, he was looking behind Tarzan with a confused, far off expression. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he hardly gave me any notice.

"Friends, girl, here," Tarzan stated. Both our heads shot towards him, and I was pretty sure I should have gotten whiplash.

"Seriously?!" we both exclaimed, our eyes lit up like Christmas had come early.

Tarzan nodded, making a series of grunts. "Friends, girl, here."

I shook my head, hardly contemplating what he meant, my mind going a mile a minute with thoughts that Piper was here. "Not really sure what that means, but show us!"

Tarzan nodded, turning around and gesturing us to follow him. Sora and me turned to each other with matching grins, and followed him. I was in such high spirits! I could finally hold Piper in my arms again…

My happy thoughts suddenly vanished to shock… horror… a bunch of feelings I couldn't describe when he headed outside. Not only were we really high in the air, oh no... We were _really _high in the air. I know I repeated that twice… Did I care? Not really…

I took in as many deep breaths as I could. _Oh _lord, I think my heart is going to stop. It was racing as fast as it could go, trying to get blood to my currently cold as stone body. I think Sora was looking at me curiously, but I wasn't really giving him any notice. Oh God, I'm going to die young. Goodbye, cruel world!

A tap on my shoulder took me away from my thoughts, and I turned my pale face to a concerned looking Sora. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I took a deep breath, gulping. I contemplated whether or not I should tell him. Grimacing, I realized that my flaw of being scared would _definitely _hinder me on this journey. I was sure that this wouldn't be the only time I was going to see heights. Taking a deep breath I muttered, "Um… I-I… I'm scared of…" Dang it, I was too embarrassed to say it.

Sora raised an eyebrow. "You're scared of heights, aren't you?" I blushed, ducking my head and nodding. He stared at me for a few moments, before bursting into laughter.

Pouting, I wined, "Shut up, Sora! It isn't funny…" He couldn't stop laughing, and he wiped tears from his eyes.

"I can't believe I didn't see earlier!" he exclaimed, holding his stomach as it hurt from laughing. I scowled, smacking him over the head. He yelped in pain, and I smirked in satisfaction. "Ow! What was that for?!"

Crossing my arms, I pouted again. "For laughing at me, you jerk!"

"Well, think of this as revenge for crashing us." Sora smirked, and I scowled, realizing it was… _kind of _fair.

Tarzan made a series of grunts again, gesturing for us to follow him, and then jumping down. Terrified, I ran to the edge to make sure I didn't see a Tarzan pancake. Luckily, he was fine. Me? Not so much…

"Oh, God… Oh no, no no no no no…" I muttered, shaking my head frantically, my blood cold. I tried backing up, but I bumped into Sora. I turned to him smirking. Damn it, he better not do what I think he is…

"Let's try and get you over your fear, eh?" he said, before pushing me over.

Once again, I was falling. I screeched, and closed my eyes tightly, waiting my doom. That didn't happen, and I instead landed on something that bounced me back up a little, reminding me of a trampoline. I opened one eye, taking in the tropical trees, telling me I hadn't died. When the rope I had landed on moved a little, I got up and noticed Sora had landed beside me.

"You little jerk!" I yelled, getting up and pushing him. He was laughing at my misery again, and I was _really _temped to throw him over the edge.

"Did it help?" he asked.

I felt my eye twitch. Looking down, I noticed that we were still _really _high in the air. The same feeling of dread seeped into my skin as anything that had to do with heights usually did. Shaking my head, I muttered, "No…"

Sora shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, it was worth a try," he said calmly.

I sighed. He was only trying to help… Even if he did almost gave me a heart attack… I saw Tarzan gesturing us again to follow him into the trees. "How do you expect me to get to the ground?" I asked.

Once again, Sora shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno."

We decided to follow Tarzan… Well, more like _Sora _followed him while I clung to his clothes, my eyes closed tightly. I was slightly embarrassed, but that embarrassment was nowhere close to how much I hated heights, so it was overruled.

When we had followed Tarzan from a giant trunk that lead from the ropes, he pointed to a giant swirling trunk that lead to the ground. "This way," he said.

Sora turned to me. "You think you'll be fine?" he asked.

I took a deep breath. I _wanted_ to scream 'NO!' but I instead nodded, saying, "Yeah."

I watched as Sora and Tarzan jumped onto the trunk and started sliding down it. '_I don't think I'll be able to do this…'_ My eyes caught onto a rather large vine and I suddenly had an idea.

* * *

I smirked as Sora's jaw dropped when he noticed me. "H-how did you get down here before us?! And without getting scared?!" he exclaimed.

I laughed, pointing to the method of transportation I used, which happened to be the vine I had seen earlier. I noticed that it had reached the ground, and I slid down it like a fire pole. I used to love those things as a kid, even if I hated heights. I closed my eyes the entire way down and arrived safely. Sure, I acquired some burns on my hands, but I used a cure on them, and they didn't hurt anymore.

Sora raised an eyebrow, smiling. "Impressive," he said and I grinned at him.

Tarzan started walking (crawling?) towards a series of tents saying, "Follow."

We did as he said, following him into a tent. Pushing the tarp door thingy aside, I noticed a woman. I believe her name was Julie? Or was it June? Jane? I think it was Jane…

"Oh, and who might these two children be?" she asked curiously.

I waved at her. "I'm Valerie."

"I'm Sora," he added in.

"Oh, you speak English? So you obviously haven't known Tarzan very long," she said, smiling.

I nodded. "Yeah. We actually just met him, and he led us here," I stated.

Jane titled her head curiously. "Are you here to study the gorilla's like myself and-"

"You can leave the introductions to me, Miss Porter. As for studying the Gorilla's, that is highly doubtful," a deep, gruff voice interrupted Jane. A man pushed the tarp aside, and I slightly flinched at seeing the gun in his hands. He scowled when he caught sight of Sora and me. "Lovely, more buffoons." I scowled right back at him.

The sound of two pairs of footsteps notified me that… whatever that guy's name was wasn't alone. The tarp was once again pushed aside and two familiar shapes walked through, making relief flood through me.

"Donald! Goofy!" Sora exclaimed, running up to them. He suddenly stopped, before turning back around and walking by my side, a giant scowl on his face. I quickly realised why, and one grazed my features as well.

"Perhaps they will be hunting the gorillas?" the man asked.

Jane shook her head softly. "Like I said many times Mr. Clayton, we're studying the gorillas, _not _hunting them."

_Oh_, I remember. Clayton had been the villain in the movie, but I can't remember what happened to him.

"Well, anyway. Me and Valerie are-"

"Anyway, we're-"

"_Staying._" Sora and Donald looked at each other in surprize when they both spoke at the same time. I raised an eyebrow at the duck, suddenly wondering the change of heart.

"Huh? I thought you didn't want to be here, _Donald," _Sora said, slightly glaring at him.

Donald squawked, about to say something before Goofy cut him off. "Guys, look at this," he said, holding out his hand. I looked, slightly surprized at the gummi block in his hand. "It's a gummi block, so that may mean-"

"Your King is here!" Sora finished eyes wide.

I smirked, my hands on my hips while I bent down to stare at Donald, who looked in another direction. "Huh, who would've thought it? _I_ sure didn't. I mean, your king obviously wouldn't be here, so…" I said, looking at my nails. I knew I was going a _tad _bit overboard, but I was so _livid_. He seriously was just going to leave a potentially helpless little girl when she had the chance of being here?

A scowl crossed his features again, but he didn't say anything.

Jane, being the sweet woman she was, but in the conversation to avoid a confrontation. "Now, Sora, Valerie, why exactly did Tarzan make you follow him?" she asked.

Sora and I turned to each other. "Well, we asked if he had seen Sora's friends, and my little sister, and he said yes, so we followed him," I answered, smiling at the man.

Jane smiled as well. "Well, I have some film. We've been using it to communicate with Tarzan. We'll see if he can recognize where your friends are with the different pictures." We both nodded, smiling.

"Thank You," we said.

Jane smiled back. "Think nothing of it," she said, digging into a box to grab the different pictures. Plugging them into the… projector, the photos appeared onto the side of the tent. Jeez, if I suddenly had to live in this era, I'd go crazy.

One by one, Jane scrolled through different pictures. Each one, Tarzan shook his head. Eventually, the last picture showed onto the screen, and once again, Tarzan said no.

I sighed, turning to the dishearten Sora. When he caught my gaze, he tried to smile in reassurance.

"Well, those are all the photos I have, unfortunately," Jane said, turning to face us. "I'm terribly sorry."

I shook my head. "That's alright, it's not your fault."

"That would leave only one place then," Clayton spoke up. "Where the gorillas live."

"But Mr. Clayton-"

"Take us to the gorillas, Tarzan. Go-ril-las." I scowled, disgusted. This man got on my nerves. He definitely didn't want to _study _the gorillas, that I was certain.

Tarzan looked over to Sora and me. He stared at us for a bit, and I suddenly felt bad. I didn't want him to reveal where his family lived, but, Piper…

Tarzan finally nodded, turning to Jane. "Tarzan, are you sure?" Jane asked, frowning.

"Lovely," Clayton spoke up, chipper. "I will go as an escort." I scowled at him, once _again. _Man, usually someone wouldn't be able to make me hate them so much by just meeting them, but this guy just had this 'hate me' aura surrounding him.

"Thanks, but no thanks," I said, crossing my arms. "We can take care of ourselves."

Clayton scoffed. "Really? A young lady such as you wouldn't be able to defend yourself against any dangers out there." I felt my eye twitching.

"Excuse me…?" I muttered. My mumbles went unheard as the guys began heading out of the tent. Sighing, I followed them.

We didn't get very far, before a pack of Heartless resembling monkeys appeared before our eyes. I was about to summon my bow before I had second thoughts. Instead, I grabbed the hilt of my sword, pulling it from the sheathe, the slight swish of metal scrapping against each other resounding in my ears. I heard a highly girly squeal, and I smirked, realising it was Clayton.

Sora, Goofy and I ran into battle, hacking at any Heartless we fell upon. I was slightly sloppy, tripping a couple of times, and on multiple occasions, Donald had to use magic when I felt to avoid me getting hurt.

The Heartless were quick, flying around like gymnasts. The Heartless in front of me did a flip, landing behind me, and once I turned around, the Heartless already had its legs up, kicking me in the stomach. I fell once again, gasping in breaths. Of course, it didn't hurt as much as when the blond man from the Coliseum had done almost the exact thing, but it still hurt.

I growled, swiping at the Heartless before it had a chance to move. It disappeared in black smoke like they always did, and I was glad.

I got up, holding what I guessed was now a bruised stomach. Grimacing, I headed over to the guys. Clayton was using a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat off his forehead, and I silently stifled a laugh. "That was quite a shock. What were those infernal creatures?!" Clayton exclaimed, looking around cautiously for any signs of Heartless.

"Those were Heartless," Sora answered, also trying to hold in laughter.

Clayton sighed. "Hopefully, we will not run into them again."

I snorted. "Yeah right," I muttered, taking a sip of a potion I had grabbed from my pocket.

"This way," Tarzan spoke, walking towards the trees. He had actually done pretty well fighting the Heartless. There were only a few small cuts lining his body, and he had the same acrobatic skills the Heartless did. It was quite impressive really, compared to my sloppy fighting skills.

When Tarzan jumped into the trees and the guys began to follow him, I felt my face pale. I completely forgot the gorillas lived so high in the trees. I'm sorry Pip, but I was _not _going back up there.

I quickly grabbed Sora's wrist. When he turned to face me, I whispered, "Sora, sorry to ask you this but… if you find Piper, could you bring her back to me…?" He was confused for a second, before realisation dawned on his face.

"Oh…" he whispered. "I see. Yeah, I don't mind," he said, smiling.

I sighed in relief. "Thanks Sora. And, uh… don't tell Donald or Goofy please?" I asked, slightly sheepish and embarrassed.

Sora rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

I gave him a thumb up. "Awesome!" I started walking back to where Jane's tent was, waving behind me. "See ya later!" I didn't give the other guys besides Sora any chance to reply before I was far enough. I huffed my hair out of my eyes and I rubbed my now red face. It wasn't really _my_ fault I was scared of heights…

I pushed open the tarp that was the door to the tent, to see Jane's face poking up from reading a book. "Oh, Valerie! Anything I can help you with?" she asked, putting the book down.

I shook my head. "No thank you. I just didn't really want to go up into the trees to my possible death," I said, grimacing thinking about it.

Jane laughed. "I can understand that," she said. "Would you like something to drink?" She picked up a pitcher of water, the side of it slightly foggy because of the cold liquid.

I sighed in relief, realising just how hot it was. "Yes please."

Jane poured me a glass of water, handing it to me. I desperately drank from it, the cool water refreshing my parched throat. "Thank you," I said, smiling.

"You're welcome," Jane replied, smiling back.

We made a bit of conversation, talking about a few things. It was mostly Jane talking, as I didn't want to blow our cover. I don't think she would take it well if I said I came from another world, where the technology was vastly more developed than what she had.

Jane talked about different things, like some of her favourite books. I was actually kind of a bookworm (though not as much as she was) so I was interested. I didn't know most of them though, so she explained them to me, leading to quite lengthy conversations.

Jane was about to start explaining another of her favourite books, when the tarp was pushed aside, only for Clayton to fall onto the ground, quickly standing up and glaring at the guys once they came in. It was a glaring contest between the two parties, though Sora, Donald, Goofy and Tarzan were the ones who were winning.

"What happened?" Jane asked, getting up from her chair.

Sora crossed his arms, still glaring at Clayton. "This guy decided to try and shoot one of the gorillas," he said, his gaze not faltering. Jeez, don't think I've ever seen Sora this mad before.

Jane and I gasped, quickly joining in glaring at the man. "Why would you do such a thing?!" Jane exclaimed.

"Well- I, you see," Clayton stuttered, playing with the hem of his shirt. "There was a snake slithering by. I saved the poor gorillas life!"

We all scowled at him, not believing his story one bit. "You better hope there is someone to save you," I said, ticked off. I despised people who killed innocent animals just because they could. I was fine if it was for survival, but for fame and fun? Nu-uh. Not only was this guy a feminist, he was a killer.

"You are forbidden from going anywhere _near_ the gorillas!" Jane yelled.

Clayton growled, deciding to get away from all the hate he was receiving. He scoffed, pushing the tent aside to walk out. Good, I hated seeing him in my sight.

Jane sighed, turning to face Sora, Donald, Goofy and Tarzan. "I'm so sorry about him…"

We were about to reply, before a gun shot went off. I felt my blood run cold, and we all turned to face each other with horrified expressions. I ran out, everyone besides Tarzan following me.

As we ran towards where we heard the gun shot, Heartless upon Heartless appeared attacking us. Like before, they were agile and quick, which made them hard to actually land a hit on. But like always, it helped me practice, so I wasn't complaining… much. What I did _not_ like was all these bruises and cuts.

A monkey Heartless (or, whatever Jiminy was going to call them) that was hopping in front of me dashed, heading my way. I did a roll, narrowly dodging. I quickly turned around, plunging my sword into its stomach. It screeched before it disappeared. I sighed (which I realised I was doing a lot more of…) and got up.

"Where the heck is he?" I growled, looking around for any sign of Clayton.

"Uh, guys, I think I found something," Goofy said nervously, pointing to a rock that was in the middle of the bamboo clearing we in.

We walked over, inspecting what it was. I gasped, realising it was Clayton's pipe…

Along with a lot of blood…

"Son of a biscuit…" I muttered, shaking my head.

"I may not like the guy, but I don't want him dead!" Sora exclaimed.

"Me too," I said.

"No… Not Clayton…" Tarzan mumbled, before making another series of grunts. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was saying. I _was_ going to ask, before a feminine screech tore through the air. I felt my blood run cold again, and my face ran pale.

"Jane!"

* * *

**Here I am, on the deadline, like I said I would be! I'm more proud than I should be...**

**I feel like this chapter wasn't my best work and the end was rushed... Tell me feedback if you think so. **

**Question for you lovelies: What world that isn't a Disney production would you like to see in the Kingdom Hearts universe? I'd like to see Rise of the Guardians!**


	9. Chapter 8: Friends in our Hearts

**Disclaimer: People wouldn't be as confused as they are if I owned Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

I couldn't help that I ran as fast as I could. Jane was in trouble and fear shot through my body as I tried to not imagine arriving to the tent with a bloody body on the ground…

No! I couldn't think like that! Jane would be fine…

We arrived to the tent that Jane had last been in, and anxiety was seeping through my mind. Would she be there? Sora slowly opened the tarp, and I held my breath to prepare for what was there. I poked my head around, cautious and more than a little scared, for what I would see. What I _did_ see made me raise one of my eyebrows in confusion at what was there… which nothing was.

We entered the tent, and I looked around for any signs of Jane. "Where is she?" Sora said.

"I don't know, but I hope she's alright…" I answered, frowning.

"Jane! Jane in trouble!" Tarzan exclaimed, starting to head out.

I frowned even deeper. "I swear to god if he's heading for the trees…"

This was exactly what he did. I _wanted_ to save Jane, I really did. But I'm just saying, I wouldn't be any help if I went. I coughed, making the guys turn to me. Putting on a fake smile, I said, "Just in case she isn't there, I'm going to head over there to check!" Donald and Goofy were confused, but I was hoping they wouldn't question it. Sora, on the other hand, was trying not to laugh.

"Do you want me to go with you, Valerie?" Goofy asked.

I silently sighed in relief. Smiling, I said, "Thanks, I'd appreciate not going alone…"

Goofy and I waved goodbye to the others as we went on our way. "You're scared of heights, aren't ya?" Goofy spoke up, laughing.

I turned to him, my eyes widened with a blushing face. "Wha?! N-no I'm not!" I denied, shaking my head frantically. Goofy only continued laughed. "Darn it, I was hoping you guys wouldn't find out!" I wined, hiding my face within my hands.

"Aw it's okay, Valerie," Goofy said, placing his hand on my hand on my shoulder.

I peeked one eye at him through my fingers. "You sure?"

Goofy nodded. "Of course, everyone's afraid of something!"

I sighed. "I guess that's true… Don't tell Donald though, he'll make fun of me," I said, pouting just thinking about it. If he does find out and laugh, he'll discover a world of pain…

Goofy and I waited for the guys to come back (for we knew Jane was obviously not anywhere near here). After about what I assumed was 20 minutes of random conversations with Goofy, Sora nearly gave me a heart attack by landing right beside me.

"You little jerk!" I screamed, holding the place where my rapidly beating heart would be.

Sora laughed at me misery (once again…). "You've called me that a lot today."

I glared at him. "Maybe it's because you deserve it!"

Thankfully, I saw Jane land right behind Sora, and my anger was cut off. "Jane! You're okay!" I exclaimed, smiling.

Jane smiled back. "That I am, thanks to Tarzan, Sora and Donald." She started to frown, and that worried me. "I can't be too sure for the gorillas though…"

I tilted my head, confused. "Why do you say that?" I asked.

Jane sighed, turning to face a new addition, who I hadn't noticed before, which happened to be a young gorilla. He\She looked slightly scared, and clung to Jane. Awe… It was so cute… "This poor little thing ran into my tent, and so did Clayton. He… Well, lack of a better term, kidnapped us, and that's when the others saved me."

Ha! I knew Clayton was bad news, not that he wasn't in the movie, but still. "Are you hurt?" I asked, checking her over for any injuries.

Jane shook her head. "I'm fine, the others not so much."

I looked towards the guys. I hadn't noticed how worn and tired they looked. It seemed to me that Sora was trying to hide something, as he winced. "Sora?" I asked. He turned to me, and slid his sleeve down. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" he answered, although his voice was slightly high.

"Yeah, right." I walked over to where he was, and grabbing his arm (nearly making him fall over in the process) I slid the sleeve up. I gasped. "Sora! You're bleeding!" I exclaimed, causing Sora to sigh. There was a rather large gash on his arm, which for _some_ reason he decided not to tell us about. "What the heck?! Why'd you not tell us?!"

"It's not that bad…" Sora said.

I raised an eyebrow, and then gently poked the area around the wound. He hissed in pain. "What was that for?!"

"For trying to play the tough hero, idiot," I answered, rolling my eyes. I grabbed bandages from his pockets, and cast Cure on the injury. I still wasn't all that good, but it was better than nothing. "We're running out of potions, so we'll have to get some more."

I wrapped his arm in the bandages. During the process, Sora tried not to yell in pain. "Tell us next time, would you?" I asked. He stubbornly agreed, and I sighed. What was with guys and trying to act tough?

"We should probably go look for Clayton before he kills anything," I stated, turning to the rest of the group. Tarzan and Donald looked fine, besides being a bit tired.

They all nodded, and started heading back towards the bamboo trail, which was where we found Clayton's pipe. In Jane's logic, she said that was where he would most likely be. We agreed to it, since it was our only clue.

We arrived in the clearing we had found the pipe, and sadly there was no trace of him. "Where is he?" Sora said aloud.

I shrugged. "He could be anywhere, considering we _are_ in a tropical rainforest," I answered. I was currently looking around for any trace of the hunter, when I spotted something yellow in the bushes behind Jane, which reminded me of Clayton's jacket. I was about to call out to him, when the figure started stalking closer, and two, hungry eyes stared at Jane's back. My eyes widened, and I yelled, "Jane, move!"

I could see she was thoroughly confused, but nonetheless move aside, and not a moment too soon before a leopard had pounced on the spot Jane had been. Jane screamed, running behind us to, somewhat safety. I took out my bow. No _way _was I getting anywhere near that thing.

"This thing again?!" Sora exclaimed.

The leopard roared at us, and I flinched at seeing its teeth. I sincerely hope it's not looking for lunch…

"Sabor!" Tarzan exclaimed, glaring at the leopard. Seemed like they had a bad history together.

"Am I the only who doesn't want to become this things lunch?" I asked, my voice slightly high in fear.

"Nope!" Sora answered, a high pitch in his voice too.

"No!" Donald and Goofy both exclaimed.

"Okay, so let's fight this thing…" I said, pulling back a fire arrow.

The guys, besides Donald ran towards the leopard, while Jane ran into the bushes, hiding away from sight. I took a deep, shaky breath, and fired my arrow at the leopard. It only hit the tip of its tail, and it roared in anger as it set on fire. I took another deep breath and the leopard glared at me, and then was getting ready to pounce, but once it jumped, Sora smashed the Keyblade into its stomach, effectively stopping it.

The leopard glared at Sora, before Tarzan, Donald and Goofy ran towards it. It swiped at them, thankfully with no claws, but the blow blew them back and onto the ground. The leopard once again set its sights on Sora, and the boy froze in fear, as did I.

"Run, Sora!" I yelled.

The command broke Sora out of his fear, and he did as I said. The leopard ran after him, and I was silently thanking that Sora was able to run really fast. But the leopard was very quickly gaining on him, and I did the only thing I could.

I pulled back my bow, and when the leopard pounced, I fired. The arrow hit its mark, and it landed right in the leopard's chest. The leopard fell to the ground, and it let out one last little, fearful whine before its head fell, breathing its last breath.

I felt sick when I stared at the pool of blood that surrounded the leopard, and the bloody arrow sticking out of its chest reminding me I had just killed an animal. Granted, it tried to kill us, but still. It was hungry; it was only trying to survive…

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my weak stomach. "You guys okay?" I asked.

Donald and Goofy held a thumb up from their position on the ground, while Sora and Tarzan nodded. Jane came out of her hiding place, and I was happy she was okay. Sora grimaced as he spotted the blood covered leopard. "Let's get out of here before I get sick," Sora said.

We all quickly agreed, leaving the dead corpse for some other animal. We walked for who knows how long, and I felt icky, with all the humidity. I was silently smacking myself for taking my really cold home for granted. Sora seemed to be completely fine, and I was glaring at him, hoping I could poke a hole through his head by my glares. I felt so bad for Goofy and Donald, considering the dog had fur and the duck had feathers. They were slouching, and breathing deeply. I was in about the same position, and I was cursing that I wore dark clothes. My jacket had been wrapped around my waist, but that was-

I _actually_ smacked myself this time, leading to quite a few confused faces, but I honestly didn't really care. I held out my hand, and cast Blizzard, my hand glowed blue and white, and I held it towards my face, making me sigh in relief when I cooled down.

Donald and Goofy did the same, and we felt much better. Sora, Tarzan and Jane were accustomed to the heat, so it didn't really bother them as much as us.

After about an hour of just _walking_ I finally blew a gasket. "Where the heck is he?!" I exclaimed. "He couldn't have gotten that-" I was cut off by Sora covering my mouth with his hand. I tried breaking free, but he was _much_ stronger than me. Then I realized why Sora shut me up.

Clayton was just around the corner we were at, and was pointing his gun at something. My eyes widened once I realized it was a gorilla he was pointing at.

"Mr. Clayton!" Jane exclaimed, causing Clayton to stop aiming. The gorilla he was pointing at scampered off, and up the cliff where the others were. Clayton turned to us, but something was off.

His eyes were glazed over and no emotion showed in his features. Tarzan gasped. "No! Not Clayton, not Clayton!" Tarzan once again grunted after his sentence, and I was confused. What was he saying?

I was brought out of my thoughts when Clayton aimed his gun at us. I froze, getting ready to run if I needed too. My eyes widened when I noticed this black substance floating up from his body. "That's not Clayton," I said firmly. Jane turned to me, confused. "He turned into those creatures we saw earlier." This meant he turned into a Heartless… But, he didn't turn into a _form_ of one, so what happened?

I heard Jane gasp in slight fear, but other than that didn't say anything. I was hoping he would stop aiming at us, but he stayed there. Then suddenly, he turned his eyes to me, and fired. I saw the attack, and moved out of the way, but the bullet _barely_ grazed my skin. I cried out, clutching my now bleeding arm. Damn it, not only did it hurt, but it would be hard to fight like this.

"Valerie! Are you okay?!" Jane exclaimed, the others turning to face me in worry.

"I'll be fine," I answered. "Let's split up before he fires at us again," I growled out in pain.

They nodded, running in different directions, while Jane once again hid somewhere. I unsheathed my sword, hoping the weight wouldn't bother the bleeding injury. It made it uncomfortable, but nothing I couldn't handle.

Clayton kept following our moves, but other than that didn't really do anything. That is, before he shot at Tarzan, who was able to move out of the way quickly. Finally, I decided that I had to do _something_.

I ran towards Clayton, and when he turned around, I sunk the hilt of my sword into his stomach, like what happened to me a lot of times. Clayton sucked a deep breath from the hit, and fell backwards a bit.

Clayton glared at me, before something weird happened. The wall behind him suddenly blew up, and he rose into the air. I raised an eyebrow in confusion. There was no way he could do that on his own… But nothing was there.

I realized that something _was_ there when something suddenly hit me in the stomach, causing me to fly back. I landed in front of the guys, who looked at me in concern. "Gwarsh, Valerie. Are you okay?" Goofy asked.

I raised one of my thumbs. "Yup… Perfectly okay…" I wheezed.

They helped me up, and I muttered my thanks. "There's no way that was Clayton…" I said.

"Maybe there's a Heartless that's invisible?" Goofy suggested.

"That would make sense," Sora replied. "Let's try attacking the area below Clayton."

We did as he suggested which led to learning that something _was_ there. Each time we attacked, our weapons wound actually make contact with something, and we wound hear a screech.

Finally, after a long time attacking, the Heartless appeared. It looked like a chameleon, which made sense. Clayton fell off, but I decided the Heartless was a top priority.

I continued hacking at the Heartless, dealing some pretty nasty blows. I was thankful for my quick thinking and quick movements; otherwise, I'd be its lunch or a pancake on the wall. Clayton kept firing bullets, but I would dodge, and some of the others were preoccupying him.

Finally, after relentless attacks, the Heartless started to twitch and couldn't fight. Clayton gasped, and tried to run since it was behind him, but the Heartless ended up crushing him, causing me to turn away in disgust.

Two hearts flew up into the sky, and the chameleon faded away, leading to us sighing in relief, with the exception of Tarzan. "I am _so_ glad that's over," I said, stretching my limbs, being careful with my injury.

Tarzan started to climb a cliff, and I froze. Damn it…

A gorilla walked over to us and stopped in front of Sora. The boy laughed nervously as he stared. Suddenly, the gorilla grabbed the hood of Sora's jacket, and threw him in the air. I gasped in horror as Sora went beyond the cliff.

"I'm okay!" I distantly heard. I sighed in relief. Then the gorilla did the exact same thing to Donald and Goofy. I started shaking in slight fear when the gorilla turned to Jane and me.

"Um… I-if you don't mind, we'd prefer to _not_ be thrown, thank you," I said, trying to convey my fear. It probably wouldn't work, but I had to try.

The gorilla tilted its head, before it picked up Jane and me and placed us on its shoulders. I smiled, but clenched my eyes tightly while it brought us up. The gorilla stopped moving, and it placed me down. I turned, and smiled. "Thank you!" I said as the gorilla seemed to smile at me before leaving.

Sora glared at me as he rubbed the back of his aching head. "That is _so_ unfair," he said.

I laughed, shrugging my shoulders. "Oh well, you snooze you lose I guess."

Goofy and Donald got up from their positions on the ground, and they swayed around a bit. "Uh, Valerie, I didn't know you had a twin!" Goofy exclaimed, before falling back to the ground, his head spinning.

That got me laughing, as well for Sora, Donald and Jane. Once we were all accounted for, we started to follow Tarzan when he beckoned us towards a cave, saying, "This way."

We followed, and entered into a beautiful sight. Inside the cave was a tunnel, which overlooked a small lake, and water falls covering some of our view. The glare from the water left a reflected light shining onto the walls of the cave, which was really cool since it was like it was moving the whole cave. Sora had to end up leading me away since I was so enraptured by it.

Tarzan moved away a bit of moss, and it uncovered a secret way. We followed him into it, which lead us into a small room.

The room was filled with moss and leaves. A giant tree was on the far end and I raised an eyebrow at how one part of the tree seemed to be glowing blue. When we walked nearer, Sora spoke up. "Tarzan, isn't this where my friends-"

Tarzan cut Sora off by raising one of his hands. He gestured to listen, which we did. I closed my in concentration, and then, I could hear water rushing. "Is that the water falls?"

"They're echoing all the way here," Jane said.

Tarzan once again grunted, before saying, "Friends are here. See friends there."

"Oh!" Jane exclaimed, slapping a fist whining her other hand, causing us to turn to her. "I got it! The grunt Tarzan says means 'heart'. Friends are in our hearts!"

Tarzan nodded. "Clayton lose heart. No heart, no see friends. No heart, no friends," he said sadly.

I turned somber. "So… Piper's not really here…" I turned to Sora, who seemed just as sad as I was.

"Hey… Guys, I'm sorry about earlier," Sora spoke up.

I nodded. "Yeah, me too." To be honest, I _was_ being a tab bit selfish…

Donald shook his head. "I'm sorry too," he said, causing me to smile.

"Awe, fellas!" Goofy said, laughing. He suddenly grabbed us all, putting us in some kind of group hug. "All for one, one for all, remember?" I smiled in appreciation.

"Yeah, you're right!" I said, laughing and nodding my head.

The glowing spot on the tree suddenly started moving, which turned out to actually be butterflies. Sora's Keyblade suddenly appeared in his hand, and he smiled. He pointed the tip towards where the butterflies moved out of the way, where a keyhole appeared. Just like in Wonderland, a beam shot from the blade and into the keyhole, when we heard a locking sound.

A gummi block fell from the keyhole, and Donald and Goofy sighed. "This sure ain't the king's…" Goofy said sadly.

"Hey, I'm sure you'll see him soon!" I said, trying to hold up the mood.

They smiled at me, and we turned to Jane and Tarzan. "We gotta head out, but thanks for all your help!" Sora said, as we walked out.

"Bye!"

* * *

We had to walk quite a ways before we found a teleportation spot, which happened to be near Jane's tent. By then, I was tired, hot, hungry, sore, and night started to approach. My feet were killing me, and I wanted to go to bed.

I didn't really care once we stepped into the green area and we started teleporting. When the familiar sight of the gummi ship came into my view, I slumped into my seat. "Ugh…"

The guys laughed, and I huffed my bangs out of my eyes. "I'm about to cook up something real quick Valerie, so you should come down to the kitchen."

Goofy's words quickly got me moving again, and I raced downstairs, Goofy's laughter following me.

As Goofy said, he fixed something up really quickly, which was basically noodles. But I was hungry and I wasn't complaining.

We made a bit of conversation, until I yawned, and I stood up. "I'm going to head to bed, night guys!" I said, walking out.

I walked into my room, and I didn't bother taking off my jacket, before I slipped into bed. Donald had fixed up my arm injury, so it didn't bother me; it was more or less a small sting.

I was trying to keep positive, but it was hard. My little, defenseless sister could be anywhere, and there were so many worlds… I wanted to believe I would find her soon, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. For now, I needed to rest so I could continue looking.

I closed my eyes, and let sleep wash over me.

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry this is a day late, but since last week was Christmas and all, I was pretty busy. I had to end up writing most of this chapter in the last three days, so sorry if it seems a bit rushed. And holy heck, action scenes are harder to write than I thought. **

**I also got a drawing tablet for Christmas, so hopefully I can start posting pictures ****on Deviantart. **

**I'm really excited for the next world, so expect better chapters... Hopefully. **

**I hope you all have a happy New Years! Here we come, 2016!**


	10. Chapter 9: The Universe Hates Us

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Only any OC's and any new ideas I added, blah, blah, blah...**

* * *

I was pretty groggy once I had woken up, and so were the guys.

I just made a piece of toast and was nibbling on it. We were on our way back to Traverse Town, since we needed more supplies and the like. I also needed other clothes and a sewing kit so when our outfits were damaged one of us could learn and fix them.

It had been about an _excruciating_ hour of just _sitting_ there, twiddling my thumbs (which was actually pretty amusing). I was almost tempted to actually hope that Heartless would appear so I could do _something. _The guys were controlling the ship, with Sora helping (more or less), but I was forbidden from going near the controls.

_"_Ugh… Do you guys have_ anything_ to do?" I eventually groaned out, my mind needing to do something other than stare at the endless abyss of space.

Donald pointed from his spot at the front to a drawer beside where I was sitting. "There should be paper and writing tools in there. Occupy yourself."

I quickly did as the duck said, and I picked up a pencil. I was an okay drawer. Not absolutely amazing, but I was good. I drew a lot when I was down in the dumps, so it was a relief from the stress and chaos I was currently experiencing.

I let the pencil glide across the sheet of paper without really realising what exactly my idea was. I got lost within the streaks and my thoughts. It was like I was on autopilot.

By the time I was done, I looked up to a clock that was on one of the monitors. By that time, I had been drawing for at least an hour. I looked down to see the finished product, and I smiled. It turned out, I had drawn a lake. Not just any lake though.

I lived in a small town that I had been in my entire life. It was a place where I could easily get to the other side quite quickly on a bike, but I loved it there. There was a small lake that rested behind the woods where I lived, and I went over to swim or just sit in the peaceful atmosphere a lot.

I felt small tears prickling in my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away. My town, lake and home were gone now, and I couldn't think about.

I felt a figure behind me, and I turned. Sora was standing there, arms resting on the back of my chair, looking at my drawing. "Wow, you're pretty good," he said.

I shrugged, slightly embarrassed at the praise. "Thanks."

"We're arriving at Traverse Town," Donald announced.

"Finally!" I exclaimed.

Just as Donald said, I saw Traverse Town appearing in our vision. I quickly bounced out of my seat, and Goofy pressed the teleportation button. I was getting used to it, but it was still slightly uncomfortable. Sora thought the same thing as he groaned when we started teleporting.

The slightly gloomy atmosphere appeared in my vision, and I smiled. "I wonder where Leon, Yuffie and the others are." I spoke up, beginning to walk.

"Let's try the hotel," Sora suggested.

"Good idea!" I perked up. "Where's that again…?"

The silence the guys gave caused me to sigh. "I may or may not have forgotten where it is…" Sora said, laughing nervously. Donald, Goofy and I groaned in unison, slumping over.

"Are you kidding me…?" I sighed.

"I know where Cid's is though!" Sora spoke up, grinning.

I raised an eyebrow. "Who's that…?"

"He's an engineer...! I think…" he said, walking towards the stairs. I rolled my eyes, and I saw Donald do the same.

"While you two numbskulls do that, Goofy and I will go buy supplies," Donald said, grabbing Goofy's clothes to drag him away despite the dog's protests.

I shrugged, and followed the boy up the stairs, and into the rather large building. As Sora opened the door, I saw a metal rod fly past my head. I squeaked, and ducked when another one did the same. "I put _one_ thing away, and it goes missing in this pile of junk!" a heavily accented male voice exclaimed, throwing another part from the counter.

"Hey, Cid!" Sora greeted, grinning. A blond man stood up from the counter, a toothpick in between his lips.

"Well I'll be, if it ain't stick and bones," the man, Cid said. He went back to scouting through the pile, throwing things casually. "So what bring you to my shop, eh?"

Sora, who had been scowling at the name, spoke up, saying, "We're looking for Leon, do you know where he is?"

"Well, to my knowledge, that man is training in the secret water way," Cid said.

I titled my head in confusion. "Where's this water way?"

"Well, girly, the secret water way in in the Second District, behind the buildings." I scowled at him, not appreciating the name.

"Thanks, Cid!" Sora said, leaving the building.

"Hey, you young'uns come back in a little bit, I have a favour to ask of ya," Cid said, going back behind the counter.

"Sure thing," I exclaimed, walking out.

We met back up with Donald and Goofy, who had already bought most of the supplies we needed. I would need to get some other things, but other than that, we were set. I had reached into one of the bags, and was now munching on an apple.

We walked to the Second District, and went behind the building as Cid had said, coming across a small opening barred, with water running into it, and I could hear Leon's voice coming from within. "How do we get in?" Sora asked.

"I think we can-"

"We should bust it open!"

"Um, guys, there's a-"

"Yeah, good idea!"

"Guys-"

"On three!"

"Hey-"

"One!"

"Listen-"

"Two!"

"Ugh!"

"Three!"

I winced as the guys flew back from the force of running into the barred opening. I sighed, watching as their heads spun, the three of them groaning in pain. "I _was_ trying to explain that," I spoke up, walking to the entrance. "There's a latch." To show them, I lifted the latch, and the bars slowly swung open. Donald scowled, holding up a Blizzard spell from his wing to his bruised head.

Goofy only laughed, finding the situation funny.

"Oops?" Sora said, grinning while rubbing his neck bashfully.

I rolled my eyes, and once they got up, we walked into the opening, leaving the bags at the entrance.

I ended up yelping as I was suddenly waist deep in water. I shivered from the cold, and my teeth were chattering, and I could hear Sora do the same. Donald and Goofy seemed to be fine, considering the duck was, well a _duck, _and Goofy had fur. "L-let's j-just get out o-of t-the w-water," I chattered out.

"Y-yeah," Sora said, swimming forward, Donald, Goofy and I following him.

I saw Leon talking to a girl in pink, who, if I remembered correctly, was Aerith, while swinging the large blade in his hand, pulling some rather complex manoeuvres. As I moved out of the water, I quickly summoned the Fire spell, and I immediately sighed in relief. Sora had moved closer to the flame, and his teeth were still chattering.

"H-hiya Leon!" I exclaimed, attempting to smile, despite my shivering body.

The man nodded at us, sort of like a greeting, while Aerith smiled back. "You guys are okay!"

I smiled, her kindness basically radiating off her in waves. "Hey, you expected us not to be?!" Sora exclaimed, grinning.

Aerith chuckled softly. "No, that's not it. But the journey you are on is dangerous; never let your guard down."

"So, what happened on your end?" Leon asked, crossing his arms. I sighed, running a hand through my now drying hair, thinking back to the rather tough experiences we faced.

"Well, we fought a lot of Heartless," I said, scowling. "Every world we go to, they're there, causing chaos."

"I see that you acquired a sword," Leon pointed out, nodding towards said sword strapped to my waist.

I nodded. "A friend of ours gave it to me."

Leon nodded once again. "Is there anything else to report?"

So we told him about what we faced. The giant towering Heartless in Wonderland, Cerberus in the Coliseum, the camouflaged lizard in the jungle, the people we met and exactly what type of Heartless we faced, (we decided to leave out me crashing us into the jungle, but the guys gave me look saying I owe them).

"It seems the more your journey prolongs, the more Heartless appear," Leon said, sighing and rubbing his tired eyes.

I nodded with him, solemn. There must have been so many lives that the Heartless destroyed… It was hard to think about it.

"Oh yeah!" Sora spoke up, causing me to jump as I hadn't expected it. "When we reached certain parts in a world, the Keyblade would shoot a light into these weird keyhole shaped things and we heard a weird locking sound," he said.

I smacked my forehead. "I completely forgot about that…"

Leon narrowed his eyes. "A locking sound…?" he muttered. "That must be the heart of the world."

All four of us tilted our heads in confusion. "Heart of the wha…?" Sora said, causing Donald, Goofy, Aerith and I to laugh.

"The heart of the world," Aerith repeated, chuckling at the boy. "That's how the Heartless take it. By consuming the heart, it consumes the world." The air suddenly felt heavy, and I looked in another direction.

"So… that's what happened to mine and Val's world?" Sora muttered his eyes sad and distant.

Aerith nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, yes…" I shivered slightly, and it wasn't just because I was cold.

Leon, probably sensing the tense atmosphere, spoke up. "The Keyblade can lock the keyhole and can save the world. If it's not too much to ask, we would like you to lock the keyholes, including Travers Town's."

Sora nodded, a determined expression crossing his features. "Of course! I can look for Riku and Kairi along the way!"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Leon's expression. "That's good," he said.

"Thank you so much, Sora, and all of you," Aerith added, smiling softy and placing her hands on her chest.

I grinned. "Glad to be of your service," I said, giving them a lazy two fingered salute, causing Leon to actually smile and Aerith to giggle.

"Anyway, we should be heading out," Donald said, causing me to nod.

"Before you go, I want to give you this. I sensed a magical presence from it. Maybe you can figure it out," Leon said, tossing a green stone to Goofy, who juggled it around a bit before catching it. "Oh, and before you catch a cold swimming in that water, take those stairs," he added, amusement in his voice.

I felt my eye twitch. "Cid could have told us that earlier…"

Like Leon said, we were bone dry by the time we reached the bags again. I picked one of them up, cursing Cid while we went on our way. "How about we go see Cid? He said he wanted to see us later anyway," Goofy said, causing me to grin.

"Heck yes! I need revenge, dangit!" I exclaimed, causing the guys to laugh. "Do you guys have anything that won't fatally harm him that I can throw at his face?"

Sora grinned with me and reached into his pocket. "Sure thing! I have exactly what you asked for!" he said, tossing me a gummi piece, the one that he found in Wonderland. It slid around in my hand a bit, and I smirked.

"Perfect!"

I aimed carefully, my tongue out and an eye closed in concentration. The guys snickered behind me, and as they did, I struck.

As the gummi piece hit Cid straight in the face, and he fell over from his place on the chair. "What the bloody heck was that?!"

"Oh, hey Cid, buddy old pal," I said cheerfully, walking in with the guys laughing their heads off behind me.

I could see Cid spit his infamous toothpick out in frustration. "Was this your doin, girly?!" he exclaimed, shaking the gummi in my face.

I tried to keep a smirk off my face as I placed my hands behind my neck, looking around casually. "I may have had something to do with it…"

"What about you three, blockheads?!" Cid shouted, turning behind me.

Sora grinned while Cid shook a hand in his face. "I had _nothing_ to do with this," he lied, causing me to snort.

"Hey, you brought it upon yourself by causing us to swim through that water and giving us those ridiculous nicknames," I said shrugging.

Cid sighed, running a hand down his face. "I'll be growin gray hairs soon because of ya misfits…" he muttered causing us to laugh at him, until he gasped, and stuck the gummi block in my face again. "You were dumb enough to throw this precious piece of material at me?!" he exclaimed, holding the piece to his chest.

"Well, we don't know how to use it, Cid," Goofy said kindly, holding up his hands like he was surrendering to something.

"I wouldn't expect you blockheads to," Cid said, causing my eye to twitch.

"Don't put me on the same level as those three idiots!" I exclaimed, causing the guys to look at me.

"Hey!" they all exclaimed.

"We're not stupid!" Sora said in anger.

"You voluntarily fell down a black abyss!" I retorted, causing him to falter.

"Yeah… I guess…" he mumbled, pouting while crossing his arms.

"Oh yeah," Cid spoke, causing us to turn to him. "I want to ask a favour of ya," he said, ducking down underneath the counter. When he popped back up, a musty, old book was in his hands, with the title, 'Winnie the Pooh'. I sighed. When Piper was young, all she would watch and read was that. "I want you to take this to old man Merlin, lives in the Third District."

"What do we get out of it?" Donald squawked in irritation.

Cid placed another toothpick in his mouth while leaning against the counter, arms crossed. "I'll install this navigation gummi to your ship for ya. You won't be able to go around bein' heroes without it."

I shrugged. "Seems fair enough."

We stared at the door in front of us for what seemed like forever, and I felt my eye twitch. We found no door handle, causing us to try to bust it down. When that didn't work, Sora tried unlocking it with the Keyblade, which still didn't work. We tried once _again_ to bust it down, causing us to acquire the bruises on our arms, (or wings in Donald's case.)

"Ugh! Maybe if we can't break it down, we can burn it down!" I yelled in frustration, summoning fire in my hands.

"Wait, Val…!"

We watched in fascination as the door glowed a brilliant red, and (for some reason) made a weird pretty song as it opened, parting ways from the middle. We stayed there in awkward silence.

"… Did I just do a thing?"

"Do a thing…?"

I pouted, crossing my arms. "Don't judge my vocabulary," I shot back, causing Donald to snort and Sora and Goofy to laugh.

We walked through the weird door thingy, and into what appeared to be a small cave. I immediately scowled at the small dingy house sitting in the middle of a pool of water. There were rocks that led to the house, and, for whatever reason, were moving. "Oh joy, plat-forming."

"I don't see any problem," Donald spoke up, casually jumping onto the first rock, Sora and Goofy following him.

My eye twitched. "The problem is," I started, following them, "I am a human, and this freezing cold water is not help- Eep!"

The guys snapped their heads to me, and I was currently swinging my arms around, trying to regain my balance. Once I did, I kept my arms out at my sides in case the rock decided to randomly halt its movements again, and I grinned at the others. "I'm A-okay!

I saw Donald roll his eyes as he continued jumping, and muttered something like, 'waste of our time'. My head snapped up, and I exclaimed, "Hey, I heard that!"

Donald shook his head, and he yelled back, "You were meant to!" Sora and Goofy tried keeping their balance as they laughed.

I pouted again. "Big jerk…"

We (finally) reached the house, and I raised my eyebrow at it. "Someone lives in this run down place?"

"Maybe it looks better on the inside?" Goofy suggested, and I shrugged.

"Maybe."

"Hey, guys!" Sora exclaimed, poking his head out from the side of the house. "I found an entrance!"

We followed him inside, and as I pulled back the tarp, I made sure to make Donald, who was walking behind me, run into it. He grumbled as I snickered at him.

Despite what we thought, the inside was no better than the outside. I coughed as dust filled my nose. "Maybe Cid got the wrong place?"

"Doubtful," Donald said. At my expression, he continued. "He specifically said 'the door with the fire symbol'."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Well, whoever _was_ here isn't anymore." I kept looking around, until my eyes rested on a strangely silent Sora. He seemed to be staring off into space. "Sora?" I spoke up, seeing if he would react. He didn't, and I smiled, rolling my eyes. I must have caught Donald and Goofy's attention, because they were also looking towards the boy.

I walked towards him, and even when I stopped beside him, he didn't react. I turned my head to face him, and I blinked. His eyes were slightly clouded over, but I could see confusion there too. "Sora?" I spoke again, waving a hand in front of him.

He blinked, and then shook his head, spiky hair waving back and forth. He looked at me in confusion. "Wha…?

I smirked, backing up with my hands on my hips. "Well, mister daydreamer, mind telling me why you seem like you've seen a ghost?"

"Ghost…?" he repeated, confused. He turned his head back to where he was looking at earlier, and he looked slightly taken aback. Then he shook his head again. "Never mind."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Okaaay…"

"Well, well, it seems as if I have some guests, and I haven't even cleaned up yet!"

I yelped in fright, whipping around to face the new voice. It was an old man, with a rather impressive looking beard. "Who are you?!"

"I am Merlin, young lady," he said, smiling. I felt my eye twitch (it seemed to be doing that a lot). He just seemed to… appear, and I didn't like that. "I am a sorcerer. I was sent by the King to aid you."

Donald and Goofy gasped. "The King?!"

Merlin nodded. "Yes, Donald, Goofy. I presume this young man is the Key-bearer, correct?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah, that's me, I'm Sora!" He seemed to not be daydreaming anymore.

"I see." Merlin turned to me, a curious expression on his face. "I do not believe I know who you are?"

I smiled. "The names Valerie. I'm just traveling with them."

Merlin smiled back. "I see."

"What did the King ask for?" Donald asked.

"Oh, just a moment please."

The aged sorcerer stood up on the rather large pedestal in the room and placed his bag down, then, placing his cane in front of him, said some words that I'd rather try _not _repeating. Then suddenly, his bag opened up, and a freaking _table_ shot out of it. I rubbed my eyes, thinking that maybe I was seeing things, but nope, the table was still there. In a couple of days, everyone shot down all my classes of science like that.

Merlin continued saying what appeared to be random sentences and furniture, books and other random things flew out of the bag and landed where he pointed them to. Eventually, Merlin stood up a little straighter, and looked around with content. "Now the place seems homier than before."

He was right. At least now I could breathe properly. "What did the King say?" Donald asked again, seeming to be a little more than impatient.

"Oh, yes, that's right," Merlin said, turning back to face us. "Your King asked me to aid you in whatever way I can. Perhaps helping in the field of magic?"

I sighed in relief. "You have no _idea_ how much I would appreciate that."

Donald grumbled, muttering something under his breath like, _'Wasn't very helpful…' _but I ignored him, happy with the idea of learning more magic. I mean, seriously, who would pass on an opportunity like this? Its every kids dream, and I had to hold down my urge to scream and run around in happiness.

Sora tilted his head. "I don't think I'll be very good with magic," he stated, rubbing the back of his head.

Goofy laughed, "Never know until you try, ahuck."

I shrugged. "It's not like you need to desperately learn it. Donald and I are kind of the mages of the team anyways."

"I guess," he said back.

"I don't think we have time to train right now, maybe later," Donald said, crossing his arms.

I frowned a bit, kind of sad I couldn't learn much right now, but shrugged it off. "I guess you're right," I said, thinking about Piper.

"I understand your urgency, but please do come back anytime you like," Merlin said kindly, smiling. "Oh, yes, I almost forgot!"

"Forgot- Wah!" I screamed once again, noticing the woman who randomly appeared beside me. Why did she look familier…?

"Oh, I am sorry for startling you dear."

I took a deep breathe, to calm my racing heart down. "That's okay…"

"I am the Fairy Godmother. Your King also asked me to help anyway I can," she said, smiling gently. Oh, now I remember, she was from Cinderella!

Donald sighed. "Why couldn't the King see us himself…" he muttered.

"Oh!" the Fairy Godmother exclaimed, turning to face Goofy. "I sense you hold a summon gem!"

We tilted our heads in confusion. "What's a summon gem?" I asked.

"A summon gem is the embodiment of a strong heart. They are made when a world disappears, but the heart is too strong to disappear along with it, but to weak enough to sustain a strong, physical form, like you," she explained, quite solemn. I nodded, quite sad. "But enough about that! Let's see this gem!"

She raised the wand in her hand, and the gem Leon had gave us earlier flew out of Goofy's pocket, accidently hitting him in the face. "Oh, sorry about that, dear," the Fairy Godmother said, trying to hide a small smile.

"Oh, that's alright!" Goofy replied, shaking his head in order to clear it. He accidently bumped into Sora, causing the boy to fall over with a yelp. "Sorry 'bout that, Sora!"

Sora raised a thumbs up, grinning. "I'm okay!"

Once the two guys righted themselves, we turned to the floating gem in front of us. It was quite pretty, and I was actually considering keeping it… "Just give me a moment. I need to summon the power from the gem," she said, coughing to clear her throat, and raising the wooden wand in her hand.

"Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!"

A strange, white light shone through the wand, to the gem. It glowed a brilliant light, and I covered my eyes, "Argh! I'm blind!" I screamed, rubbing my eyes frantically, and I tried looking around, but little white spots covered my vision. Eventually, they died down, enough where I could see. I turned to the gem, and gasped.

Inside the gem, was a sleeping lion. I was amazed, and I reached out to grab in. It stopped glowing when it reached my hand, and I smiled. "From my magic, it has told me this poor souls name is Simba."

I held back a gasp, and I saw the lion in a new light. Oh my god, I was holding one of the most famous characters from Disney in my hands. That just sounded really weird in my head…

"If you summon him, he can aid you in battle," the Fairy Godmother said, smiling.

"That's awesome!" I exclaimed, grinning.

She nodded. "If you find anymore, please bring them to me so I can summon their spirts."

"Sure thing!" Sora said.

"Oh yeah!" I piqued up, digging into my pouch that was strapped on my waist. Donald had enchanted in to it could hold many things that were rather large, but not on the scale of Merlin's bag. I grabbed the musty book Cid had gave me, and handed it to Merlin. "Cid wanted us to give this to you.

"Oh, yes. I remember this book. It had found its way into my bag one day, and since it was so worn and falling apart, I asked Cid to fix it. He did quite the job," Merlin said, smiling while placing the book on a pedestal.

"What's so special about it?" I asked.

"It's missing pages," he answered, turning to me. "I can sense a missing magical presence from the places the pages should be."

"Huh…" I muttered, kind of interested.

"_Anyway_," Donald stressed out, causing me to raise an eyebrow at him. "We should be leaving. We need to find the King."

I shrugged. "Alright." We began to follow the (grumpy) duck out, and I waved to Merlin and the Fairy Godmother. "Bye!"

"See you later!" Sora added.

As I noticed the moving rocks that led back to the Third District, I sighed. "Can't we get a break?" I asked, even though it was useless. The universe just seemed to hate us.

"Nope," Sora answered, jumping and balancing on the first rock.

I sighed again. "Thought so…"

We reached the end of the platforming rocks, (not without a couple of almost falls and playful teases). I stretched my limbs, and sighed in happiness as my muscles seemed to feel slightly less tense. "So we go back to Cid's?" I asked the guys.

Sora shrugged. "I guess. Maybe he knows where the Keyhole is?"

"Maybe," Donald added in. "Highly doubtful though."

I frowned in a playful matter. "Someone seems grumpy," I teases.

He scowled. "No," he denied, not very convincing.

I rolled my eyes. "_Sure…_"

Suddenly, Sora tensed up, and summoned the Keyblade. "Heads up, guys!"

I would have asked questions, but I decided not to question it, instead I un-sheathed my sword. Sure enough, a couple of Heartless appeared. They were basic soldier Heartless, and not very threatening.

I was about to jump into battle, when suddenly, a weird sword cut through them, making the creatures cry and disappear. Once they did, it revealed a strange boy. He had pretty other worldly hair, and a stranger clothing style than _Sora_, and that was saying something.

Sora suddenly gasped in surprize, and I turned to him. His sapphire blue eyes were wide in shock, then he quietly whispered,

"Riku..?!"

* * *

**Well... hehe... This is a little late...**

**You guys have no idea how sorry I am. I kind of hit a bit of a ruff spot, and I lost motivation to write. But I eventually forced my lazy but to finish this chapter. **

**I realized in the earlier chapters, I kind of made Sora a little OOC, and I didn't incorporate Donald and Goofy as much as I should have. I tried to fix that here though. **

**On another note, have any of you seen The Seven Deadly Sins?! Its ****_so _****good, and I really recommend it. It actually inspired me to finish this. **

**Anyway, that's all I have for now. See you guys in the next chapter!**


	11. Chapter 10: Fire in the Hole

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to say I don't own Kingdom Hearts? If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction**

* * *

I titled my head, taking in the boy Sora called Riku. He had this… aura of arrogance and it threw my off, but I plastered a smile on my face for Sora's sake.

"Man, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Riku exclaimed, smirking at the brunet. Sora didn't seem to listen to him, and instead walked up. My eyebrow was raised at him, but I suddenly had to bite down on my tongue when Sora suddenly began to pull at Riku's hair and mouth.

"Hey, cut it out!"

Sora didn't seem to react at all to the boy's annoyance, because he smiled. "Riku! I can't believe it's you!"

"You don't seem to have changed," Riku sighed, brushing off the boy. "But I'm glad you're okay."

"Hey," Sora spoke up, his voice changing to have a certain uneasiness in it. "Where's Kairi?" he asked, his voice slightly cracking at the girl's name. I frowned, feeling bad for my friend.

"Kairi? Isn't she with you?" Riku asked, deflating.

"No…" Sora replied, looking down with a scowl.

Riku didn't say anything, but looked down too. Eventually, he looked up, clapping Sora on the shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure she made it out fine."

Sora sighed, shaking his head. "You're right…"

"But hey," Riku spoke, turning around. "We finally made it off the island. We're finally free." He had this… wistful tone and… I'm not sure how to explain it, but it made the hairs on the back of my neck crawl. I decided to be cautious around him.

Sora's Keyblade suddenly appeared in his hand, but Riku didn't hear it. Sora looked around before spotting a small shadow Heartless and chased after it.

"But like always, you can leave everything to me. I got it under-" Riku suddenly was caught off by the swishing sound of the Keyblade as it hit its enemy. The Heartless was quickly taken care of, and Sora grinned at his friend.

"Leave it to who now?" Sora joked, placing the Keyblade over his shoulder.

"Wha- Sora. What is-" Riku seemed lost for words as he stared at the Keyblade.

Sora smiled at him. "You're not the only one who can take care of everything! I've been looking for you and Kairi, with their help."

I plastered a smile, and gave a salute. "Hey there!" Donald and Goofy only nodded. I guess they didn't want too much attention on them or something.

Riku raised an eyebrow at us. "Who are they, exactly…?"

Donald coughed. "My name is-"

"We've been to so many different places, looking for you!" Sora interrupted Donald, _knowing, _and smirking about it. I quietly laughed to myself. He's so mean to Donald.

Riku smirked slightly, crossing his arms. "Who'd a thought it? You actually got up off your lazy but and did something."

I smirked, nudging Sora with my elbow. "What haven't you told us about, Sora?" I teased, laughing.

He scowled at me. "Shut up!"

"And Sora's the Keyblade wielder, ahuck!" Goofy exclaimed, cheery, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders, almost causing him to fall over.

Donald scoffed, crossing his wings. "Who would expect that?"

"Hey!' Sora cried, scowling at the duck. "I take offense to that!"

"Awe, it's okay, Sora," I laughed, placing a hand on his shoulder. He rolled his eyes, shrugging it off while smiling.

"Anyway," Sora spoke up, smiling at Riku. "We've got a really cool rocket!"

"Oh, really…?" Riku said, raising an eyebrow. For some reason, it made shivers go up my spine. I _really _didn't like that look…

"Yeah!" Sora replied, grinning. "Wait 'till you see it!"

"Wait!" Donald interrupted. "What do you mean?! He's not seeing anything!"

Sora's head snapped to Donald, irritated, figuring out what the implication meant. "Wha?! He's my friend, he _has _to come with us!" Sora complained, crossing his arms. I had to contain a giggle behind my hand. He was acting like a little kid!

"I don't care if he's your friend, he's not coming!" Donald repeated, tapping his flipper against the ground. "It's enough I have to deal with the ginger devil."

"Hey!"

"That's completely unfair!" Sora shouted. "This is exactly what caused Val to crash into Tarzan's world! You not allowing us to do something!"

"Sora!"

"Jeez, guys," Goofy spoke up. "It's kind of mean to pick on Valerie like that."

"Thank you!"

"… Even though it's pretty funny."

"… You guys are mean."

Sora shook his head. "You should allow us things, Donald. We'll only annoy you further," he argued, smirking.

Donald stayed quiet for a while, before he sighed. "Fine."

"Awesome!" Sora shouted, jumping on the spot. "Hey Riku, you hear-, hey, he's gone."

I turned around with him, and, indeed, the silvered haired teen was gone. "Huh," I spoke. "Wonder where he went."

"Oh well," Sora commented, placing his arms behind his head. "At least I know he's okay."

I smiled, nodding. "That's a good viewpoint." Sora seemed to not think anything of it, walking away with Donald and Goofy. I stayed, staring at the spot Riku used to be. I had suspicions. Why would he leave his best friend alone…?

"Hey, Val!" Sora shouted, grabbing my attention. "Get your head out of the clouds!"

"Or we'll leave you behind!" Donald added.

I smiled, shaking my head and running towards them. If Riku had his reasons, I wouldn't ask.

* * *

"Of course they aren't there when we want to see them," I grumbled, closing the hotel door.

Sora shrugged, placing his hands behind his head, not putting any other input.

"A-huck, guess we'll just have to look around," Goofy said, ever being the optimist he was.

Donald was grumbling, though. "We have to be fast, so if we don't find them in the next- Ah!" Donald squawked in fear, Cid splitting a gut on the other side of the window he had knocked his fist against.

"Guess we found them," I said, laughing with the mechanic. He gestured to the door near us, and we walked in, Donald stomping.

"Hey there, munchkins," Cid said, greetings us. We all scowled, excluding Goofy. "Delivered that book for me?" We nodded. "Thanks,"

"Hey there!" a cheery voice greeted us. Yuffie, Leon and Areith walked towards us.

"Hey!" Sora replied, all of us waving at them.

"Anything new?" Yuffie asked curiously. We shrugged.

"Other than complete and utter exhaustion from fighting Heartless, not much," I answered, laughing. This caused her to laugh with me.

We made a bit of small chat, not really delving into anything deep. They laughed when we told them some funny things about our journey, like when I was chased by Cerberus. Now that I look back on it, it was pretty funny.

"Oh yeah!" Cid exclaimed, pounding one fist in his other hand. "You runts 'erd of Maleficent?" I raised an eyebrow at him. Like the evil fairy thingy in Sleeping Beauty?

"Maleficent? Who's that?" Donald squawked in irritation.

"She's a nasty witch," Yuffie answered, scowling. Ah, so she was a witch, _not_ a fairy.

"She's been appearing lately," Leon spoke up from his spot, leaning against the blue wall with a pensive expression. "She's the reason we had to leave our world. She took it over with the Heartless. Don't take her lightly."

We gasped in horror. "That's terrible!"

"Maleficent's been controlling the Heartless for years," Aerith told us, her expression distant and sad. "That's why there's so many Heartless everywhere."

I scowled, crossing my arms. "So _she's_ the reason my version of reality is getting warped." This caused them to laugh and chuckle, and I smiled. Good. That was my plan.

"That was nine years ago," Yuffie said sadly.

"I took a gummi ship and took all the people I could. So many people were taken by Heartless," Cid said, shaking his head with a scowl. I frowned, my heart clenching.

"Our leader," Leon spoke, closing his eyes. "His name was Ansem."

I smiled softly. "He sounded like a great man," I said, earning sad looks from them, each of them nodding.

"He studied Heartless," Leon said, his voice forlorn. Our heads snapped towards him, I was pretty sure we should've gotten whiplash. The corners of his mouth sneaked upward when he noticed out reactions.

Cid's reaction was snorting at our surprize. "Anyway," he spoke, making our attention focus on him. "Ansem had made this report. It could, in the words of Leon, 'Potentially destroy 'em for good."

We all stopped, staring at him. I blinked, and then rubbed my ears. "Pardon my stupidity," I said. "But did you say it could tell us how to _destroy them?!"_

Everyone laughed at me, and I puffed out my cheeks in annoyance. "That's what I said," Cid huffed.

"Well, where is it?!" Doanld squawked.

Leon sighed. "It's scattered between worlds."

We stopped, again.

"Maleficent most likely has most of the pages," Cid explained, flicking away the toothpick in his hand. It almost got in the trashcan, but fell to the floor. Aerith's mouth set in a thin, disapproving line.

"Of course she does," I muttered. "Because the universe just _has_ to hate on the good guys…" Sora sighed next to me.

"On any case, watch your backs," Leon told us seriously. "Knowing your pension for getting in trouble, you'll probably need it."

"Hey!"

* * *

I yawned, raising my arms above my head in a stretch. "You guys ready to go find Cid?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"I believe so," Donald replied, stuffing a piece of paper back in his pocket that was our shopping list. While waiting for Cid to finish installing the gummi to the ship, we went around shopping a bit more. I got some more clothes, (God forbid I stayed in my dirty clothes any more than I have to), more food, a whole lot of potions and other essentials.

"Good," Sora commented, also yawning. "I'm tired."

"You two always are," Goofy joked, laughing merrily.

I grinned. "What can I say? Life is- what's that shiny thing?"

The guys turned in the direction I was facing, which was a fountain in the Second District. Like my short attention span had noticed, the fountain was indeed shining a bright… purple colour, and as our luck would have it, a keyhole appeared before our eyes.

"Well, duty calls," Sora laughed, jumping down a series of stairs towards the well, two at a time. I grinned at his enthusiasm, and ran down after the boy, the two anthropomorphic animals following after me.

"Oi!" I yelled, frowning when Sora suddenly stopped, making me almost run into him. "Why the sudden stop?"

"Um… That," he said shakily, pointing in front of him. I frowned, raising an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes when he didn't move, stepping from behind hi- oh…

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat, now understanding why Sora was shaking beside me. The giant Heartless we had fought, (Sora and Donald, actually) when we had first arrived in Traverse Town lay standing before us, and I could _swear_ it was glaring. You know, I'm pretty sure no matter how much I fight these, they will forever scare me.

The Heartless roared, taking me from my thoughts. I immediately un-sheathed my sword, taking a defensive stance. I took a deep breath, before running, calling behind me, "Let's destroy the limbs!"

I earned a collective call from each of them, further encouraging me. I could do this, I could do this.

**BAM!**

A screamed erupted from my throat as I turned to look behind me. I hadn't been paying attention, and the Heartless had almost stomped me from existence. I let out a shaky, terrified breath, and bolted away as fast as I could.

When I was in what I assumed a safe distance, I sheathed my sword, instead summoning my bow. I hadn't used it in a while, and I didn't want to get rusty, so I'd better start using it more often.

Running back a little more, (from what I'd learned, I'd be useless if I didn't) I pulled back the string, the cool, icy to the touch arrow between my fingers. I took a deep breath, before releasing the arrow. As I hoped, the arrow had frozen the armoured Heartless' foot, keeping it trapped on the ground. "There's your chance!" I exclaimed to the guys.

"Got it!" Sora yelled back, effectively cutting off one of the arms with one blow. Goofy had done the same with the other arm, and the Heartless roared. It stomped, making the two fall over from the impact. My eyes widened, and un-summoning my bow, I pulled my sword, calling out to the Heartless, "Hey! Big guy! Your aim sucks!" I provoked, grinning as its attention was diverted from Sora and Goofy. Then I paled when I realised it had a new target.

Me.

I yelped when it stomped its way over to me, forcing my jelly legs to move. "Crap, crap, crap!" I chanted. I had no time to attack. It was right on my tail! If I stopped to turn around, I'd be squished like a pancake!

The stomping behind me suddenly stopped, and I turned, seeing Sora panting heavily, a crumpled mass of the armour in front of him. I sighed in relief, walking over. "Thanks for that, Sora."

He grinned. "No problem. You helped me earlier anyway."

I smiled back. "Well, at least it's gone- Holy crap!"

One of the standing arms had fallen, right beside me, almost giving me a heart attack. While I regained my breath, Sora was laughing and I growled, smacking him over the head. "Ow!"

* * *

I was currently rubbing my neck, trying to get a kink out of it. "God," I muttered, grimacing. "I'm gunna be sore in the morning."

Sora, who was walking beside me, laughed. "Tell me about it." His arms were positioned behind his head in a relaxed position, and his outrageously ginormous shoes were making small, 'tap, tap' noises against the ground.

"Let's go see Cid, I don't want to be here anymore than we have to," Donald said, crossing his arms.

I shrugged. "Well, whenever you're ready, I guess." We continued walking back to the First District, but I noticed Sora had slumped and a frown settled on his face. It caused me to frown as well, and I tapped him on the shoulder, gaining his attention. "Hey, you okay?" I asked.

Sora shrugged. "I dunno," he answered. "I'm just… worried. I'm leaving Riku here, and I don't like that." I gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Hey," I spoke. "I'm sure he'll be fine. He seemed to be pretty strong when I met him. Besides, you two can cover more ground to find Kairi." He grinned, agreeing with me.

"You're right! Riku can take on anything!" he exclaimed, going back to his cheery self.

"Yeah! That's the spirit!" Goofy added, laughing happily.

"Hey! It's Cid!" I exclaimed, pointing to said mechanic.

"Hey, young'ins." Cid shifted from his spot against the door of his shop, rubbing at his nose. "The gummi piece is installed and she's ready to go."

"Great!" Sora exclaimed, resting his arms behind his head again.

"Thanks a bunch, Cid!" Goofy added.

Cid waved him off. "Eh, it was notin. It let me work on a gummi ship again, so you rugrats are in my good graces anyway."

I smiled. "Thanks anyway!" We began to walk towards the docking center, (I was shaking thinking of takeoff) when Cid let out an, 'Oh!', slapping his fist against his palm.

"Leon wanted me to tell you guys that another member of our little group should be here next time you come over," Cid said, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Why hasn't he been here before?" I asked.

Cid shrugged. "With the amount of worlds disappearing and Heartless lately, we've got our hands full. He's taking a break and someone will be replacing him, most likely Leon."

I nodded. "Seems fair."

After the little delay, we continued back to the docking center. "I wonder who he is?" Sora wondered, grimacing when we entered the gummi ship.

I shrugged. "I dunno. We'll see when we come back."

With that being said, we entered our respective seats, (I quickly buckled myself with a seatbelt), and Donald turned to us. "Ready?"

I grimaced, my hands gripping my chair, my knuckles white. "No." I answered, and I could see Sora shrinking in on himself.

If he heard my answer, he didn't show it, instead pressing the button that signaled my doom. I closed my eyes, muttering, "Good_bye_ cruel world…"

Once again, my body shrunk in on itself as we left, closing my eyes from the pressure, my back and head painfully slamming against my chair. Fighting back the scream in my throat, I waited out until the torture was over.

Finally, it stoped, and I was suddenly thrown forward, laughing merrily as Sora was actually _thrown_ off his chair with a yelp. "That's what you get for not putting on your seatbelt!"

* * *

I yawned for the umpteenth time, marveling at the beauty of space while doing so. We had only been in Traverse Town for about two hours, so it was about 12:00, (for our unit of time, anyway). We decided to look for a new world as we didn't have anything else better to do.

We had been traveling for another hour, and the area we were in was infested with marvelous colors. I was passing my time watching them go by, occasionally doodling on the piece of paper resting on my lap.

I had drawn Sora when I didn't have anything else in mind. We had laughed ourselves silly for five whole minutes when I drew a chibi version of him munching on chocolate bar. He had pouted at first, but eventually laughed with us. My sides still hurt.

Donald and Goofy then requested for me to draw them, and I had complied. My drawing of Goofy was of him sleeping on the ground, while the one of Donald had him sticking his beak in the air proudly. They both liked it, and now I had nothing to draw.

Thankfully, at that time, Goofy had turned around, smiling as he said, "We've arrived at another world!"

I quickly shot up, thankful. "Great! Sora, get off your lazy- are you kidding me?" I stood there, giving Sora an unimpressed look.

He was hazardously sleeping on his chair, limps _everywhere_. He was softly snoring, drool collecting on the side of his mouth, completely oblivious to the world. I rolled my eyes, chucking with Goofy as Donald scoffed. "Watch this," I whispered, quietly walking over to him.

When I crouched near his face, trying not to snicker at his clear misfortune, I cupped my hands on either side of my mouth, and with a deep breath, I screamed, "FIRE!"

Sora squeak- ahem, _screamed_, limbs flailing everywhere as he fell off his chair. "Wha- what happened?!" he exclaimed, looking around wildly with blurry eyes. When he saw us doubled over in laughter, he narrowed his eyes. "What are you laughing at?" he asked. I only laughed harder, the drool on his face and dishelmed hair not really helping his case.

"You are!" Donald replied, making us only laugh harder.

Sora frowned, before the action alerted him to the drool. He quickly wiped it away with his gloved hand, and shook his head, and, miraculously, fixing his hair. I shook my own head. That was not natural.

"You guys suck," Sora said, jumping up and stretching.

"Says the one who threw me from a tree top," I argued, placing my hands on my hips while glaring at him. He froze, before chuckling.

"Fair point," he said.

"Anyways," Donald spoke. "We've arrived to another world." He jabbed a finger at the window, gesturing to the world. Sand. Lots and lots of sand.

Sora perked up. "Great! Let's get going!" With that said, we pressed the button, and off we were.

"Ah! My eyes!" was the first thing I had said. I was rubbing at them furiously, trying to soothe them from the sand that had immediately gotten in them.

"Ugh, why is it so hot?!" Donald complained, then making me realize the humidity. I quickly took off my sweater and tied it around my waist. Curse my affinity to cold weather!

After successfully getting the sand out of eyes, I was looking around the area we landed in, (making sure to squint my eyes).

"Huh…" I muttered. The buildings around us were almost stacked upon each other, cracked and some paint shredding off.

"Ack! Heartless!" Donald squawked, making my head whip to his direction, taking out my sword, ready to fight. 10 Heartless lay before us, dressed like thieves with striking, sharp swords that could easily cut me in half.

"C'mon!" Sora called, running forward and already slashing through 2. I tensed up, a determined expression lining my face.

I ran forward with him, ducking under a swing thrown at me, before whipping around and plunging my sword into the stomach of the Heartless, effectively destroying it.

A growl behind me made me tense up and I dropped to the ground, a wishing sound and small pieces of my hair falling in front of my eyes telling me I was a… _hair_ away from death. I gulped, before flipping onto my back, eyes widening as the Heartless raised the sword over its head; then down to me.

I raised my own sword to block it in time, the two swords clashing in a '_chang!_' I grunted, trying to push back against the weight, my hold already losing.

"Guys!" I called, trying not to let go. "Little help here!" My voice steadily got higher with each syllable as the Heartless was slowing pushing back my sword.

Suddenly, the weight was lifted off of me, Goofy tackling the Heartless, rendering it dead. I sighed in relief, jumping up, shouting out a, "Thanks, Goofy!"

I noticed Sora was surrounded by 5 Heartless, all of them eyeing him with malice. I could see he was in a tight spot, so I quietly crept behind two of them, and with one swish, and a cry of surprise from them, they disappeared. I could hear him sigh in relief, before quickly dealing with the other surprised Heartless. Seeing there were no others, I sheathed my sword, waiting until Sora finished the others.

I huffed, still slightly out of breath. "That's gunna hurt in the morning," I sighed, prodding at a bruise forming on my hip, grimacing as it stung.

"Hey! Guys! Over here!" Sora exclaimed, waving his hands to tell us to follow him through an alleyway. I sighed, pulling down the bottom of my shirt to cover the large bruise, and following after the excited boy.

I looked around the small back alley, slightly paranoid that random Heartless would randomly appear and strike. "There's nothing here, Sora," Donald said, aggravated.

Sora frowned, crossing his arms. "I could've sworn I saw two people coming into here. They looked scared too."

I frowned, worry settling into my veins. "Are you sure, Sora?"

He was about to reply, when I heard a quiet gasp coming from the crates from a back corner. I spun around, my eyebrows furrowing together. "Hello? Is anyone there?" I called out. I heard quiet whispering, so I added, "It's okay, we won't hurt you."

When I thought that maybe no one was there, a pretty girl that could pass for royalty, yet slightly beat up, poked her head up. "I'm sorry, I thought you were here to hurt me," she said quietly, yet filled with power. My eyes widened. Wasn't this Jasmine from the Aladdin movie? It had to be. I'm never going to get used to this.

"That's okay," Sora told her, giving Jasmine a friendly smile. "Who are you?" he asked, although I already knew.

She smiled, straightening up. "I'm Jasmine, daughter of the Sultan of Agrabah." She suddenly deflated, frowning. "But that was before Jafar, our royal vizier, took over the palace, and thus, Agrabah." I frowned with her. She eventually shook her head, smiling at us. "Who would you be?"

"I'm Sora," he said. "That's Donald, that's Goofy, and that's-"

"Please, Sora," I interrupted him. "I'm not mute, I can introduce myself." I smiled at her. "I'm Valerie!"

Her eyes widened in shock, and I was about to ask why, when I heard a tiny gasp from the crates. I raised an eyebrow, wondering why they hadn't come out before. Jasmine turned around, and looked over the crates, giving a soft smile to whoever was there. "It's okay," she spoke kindly. "They're friendly, and she's here too." I frowned again. Did this person know me? But, how did they?

Jasmine offered a hand to the person, and a little one grabbed it. I felt my heart rate escalating. Was that…?

And that's when a small, blond head poked out from behind the boxes, grass green eyes widening at me. I felt the breath leave me in an uneven gasp, tears springing to my eyes and my heart stopping.

"…Pip…?"

* * *

**AN: You guys have no idea how sorry I am.**

**Almost a week after I had posted my last chapter, my computer charger broke. I cried. I CRIED. I had tried to get this chapter done on school computers, but I could only do so much. But my computer has recently been fixed and I rushed to get this out.**

**I hope you aren't too disappointed with me. I'm gunna try my best. ****That little cliff hanger should keep you going for some time, I hope. **

**On another note, I dressed up as Sora for character day at my school. Why? I don't know. Did I care? Not really. So many people asked who I was and it made me sad. Why you not know Kingdom Hearts, people?!**

**Other than that, I have not much else to say. If you have any questions, please don't be afraid to ask! I'll be more than pleased to answer!**

**Until next time!**


	12. Chapter 11: Mr Creepy Face

**DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor will probably ever own Kingdom Hearts. I only own any characters, plot or ideas you don't recognize within the game. **

* * *

I couldn't believe it. She was a_ctually _here. After fruitless searching for almost a _week_, I actually found her! "Pip!"

She broke into a grin, and jumped over the boxes, past a smiling Jasmine. I crouched, my arms outstretched, and the biggest grin on my face. She squealed, and jumped into my arms. A feathery laugh escaped my lips, and I hugged her back tightly.

"You little rascal! I looked everywhere for you!" I scolded in good nature, holding back tears that threatened to spill.

"I'm sorry, Val," she giggled, causing me to smile and comb my hand through her hair. God, I never realized how much I would miss my little devil of a sister.

She suddenly gasped, and turned to look at me. "Is that Donald Duck and Goofy?" she whispered in awe, causing me to laugh and face to my three previously forgotten friends. They all supported huge, happy grins, even though Donald was trying to hide his. Jasmine had gone to stand beside them, smiling.

I nodded, laughing again. "Yup," I said, popping the 'p'. She grinned again, and jumped up, running towards them.

"It's nice to meet you!" she exclaimed happily, her eyes shining. I laughed lightly; her happiness was just completely contagious.

Piper had stopped, and was staring intently at Sora. "What's your name?" she asked curiously.

He grinned at her. "I'm Sora!" he exclaimed, his usual cheery self. Piper laughed, pointing at his hair.

"You have weird hair, Sora!" she pointed (hehe, puns…) out. Sora pouted, touching one of the spikes.

I patted her on the head, making her turn to me. "Now, now, Pip. Don't hurt the sensitive child." I grinned when Sora gave an indignant, 'Hey!'

"So, Jasmine, if you don't mind me asking, how did you come across my sister?" I asked, turning to the princess, (holy crap, I just realized I was standing in front of a princess!)

Jasmine smiled. "It was about… three days ago. I had been walking through my garden, when I stumbled upon her. She had been confused and lost, so I took her into the palace."

"Sorry if this seems rude, but why would you take in a total stranger?" I asked, before hastily adding, "No offense, Pip." Piper pouted at me.

"Well, I couldn't just leave a little girl alone out in the cold in the middle of the night!" she said, shaking her head at the thought. "Of course, I had to hide her from the guards and just about everyone, but I got through."

"Thank you," I said in gratitude. "It means a lot."

"So, why are you guys in the streets?" Sora asked.

Donald frowned. "Better yet, why isn't anyone else?" I frowned with him. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen anyone either.

Jasmine and Piper shared a sad look. "The royal vizier, Jafar, had betrayed us. He took my father, and now has rule over Agrabah," Jasmine explained, rubbing her arms in discomfort. "He has control over these _monsters_," she spat, "and sent everyone into hiding."

"Gwarsh, those monsters sound an awful lot like Heartless," Goofy said, frowning.

"And where there's Heartless, we need to stop them," I declared, before blinking. "Say, how did you two escape? I mean, you two were in the palace, so he would've found you."

Jasmine smiled and… was that a hint of a blush I saw…? "There was this boy, Aladdin, who saved us. If not for him, Jafar _would've_ captured us."

"Aladdin?" spoke a deep, evil voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. We whirled around to face the source, a man who stood up on a ledge, staring at us like we were merely insects to be crushed under his feet. "That street rat is far too dirty to interact with you, my Princess. Tell me where he is so I may dispose of him." He stared at Jasmine creepily, and I didn't like it one bit. "And so I may find you more… suitable company," he added, staring at the rest of us with distaste. I felt my eye twitch.

I held my hands out in front of Jasmine. "Jasmine, Piper, go hide!" I exclaimed, my eyes never leaving Mr. Creepy Face.

"But-"

"Go!" I cut Jasmine off. She hesitated again, but finally left, grabbing Piper's hand in the process. I summoned my bow, and Sora, Donald, Goofy and I blocked the entrance, making sure Jafar wouldn't find them.

"Ah," Jafar grinned, "If it isn't the boy who bears the key."

"Wait, how do you know about that?!" Sora exclaimed in surprise.

Jafar didn't answer Sora, but instead curled his lip in distaste and merely walked away, Heartless appearing to take his place, surrounding us. With a quick movement, I shoot one of them with an arrow, the bandit quickly disappearing and another taking its place, soon meeting the same fate.

The approaching sounds of footsteps behind me made me quickly jump to the side, and a sword met my eyes where I had once been. I took my sword from the sheath and struck it down, the Heartless disappearing with a shriek.

I smirked before something hard collided with my back, throwing me off my feet. I groaned, flipping on my back, eyes widening when I saw a towering pot/spider Heartless thing hovering over me. It shrieked, and I flinched, before a lightning bolt shot down upon it, effectively killing it. A whoosh escaped my lips, and I silently thanked Donald, getting back on my feet, sighing in relief when I noticed there weren't any more Heartless.

"C'mon guys!" Sora shouted, gesturing to the opening back into the streets. "We need to make sure Piper and Jasmine are okay!" I was suddenly reminded off my little defenseless sister and I immediately followed after the boy, Donald and Goofy doing the same.

When in the middle of an intersection of roads, I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted, "Piper?!"

"Jasmine?!" Sora added.

"Up here!" a tiny voice shouted above us, causing us to look up, seeing Piper give us a grin from a high balcony. "Climb up from the tents and then up those steps!" she instructed, and I gave out a whine. Did I have to…?

Unfortunately, I still had to go up. We made it, thankfully, and without any splattered bodies on the ground. Of course, I almost fell a few times, thanks to my klutziness, but I still (somehow) made it.

As soon as I was on solid ground and _far_ away from any and all edges, I sat down, nearly kissing the floor. I heard contained laughter, and I scowled, but decided against saying anything. "You guys okay?" I asked the two, Jasmine and Piper smiling at the question, Piper giving an enthusiastic, 'Yep!'

"What is this place?" Sora questioned, leaning against an entryway to a balcony that overlooked the city and palace. I felt sick, and immediately averted my eyes, taking in the rather lived in area we had stumbled upon.

"This," Jasmine began, gesturing around us, "is Aladdin's place. After he saved us, he brought us here, and we've been in hiding."

"Speaking of," Donald spoke. "Where is this Aladdin?"

"Oh!" Piper piped up, grinning. "He went into the desert! He said he was trying to find a way to stop Jafar!"

Jasmine shifted nervously. "Actually, I'm kind of worried about him. He's been gone since nightfall."

"Hey," Sora spoke up, causing everyone to look in his direction. "How about we go look for Aladdin for you?" I blinked at the boy in surprise.

"What?!" Donald exclaimed.

"Well, think about it. We need to find the Keyhole, and Aladdin is in the desert. We might as well look for him along the way." I blinked at him again, this time in astonishment.

"Umm… Sora, mind telling me when you became smart?" I asked, grinning at his glare.

"Hey, I can come up with smart ideas every once in a while too!" he snapped, making me giggle. "It's not funny!"

"I caught that, 'every once in a while', mister!" I said smugly, causing him to pout.

Donald sighed. "Fine, I can't judge your logic." Sora fist bumped the air at his victory with a grin. "We'll leave now, if everyone's okay with that." I frowned, turning to my sister, who was sitting beside me.

I awkwardly cleared my throat. "Donald? Um… where will Piper and Jasmine go?" I asked.

The duck frowned. "I'm not very sure. If they come with us, they're in danger, but if we leave them alone, they're still in danger." We stayed quiet, humming in thought.

"I can stay here," Jasmine said. We turned to her, and she smiled. "I'll just stay in Aladdin's place. They haven't come here yet, I'll be fine. I'll also feel better if Piper is with you guys, so you can protect her." I bit my lip.

"Are you sure, Jasmine?" I hesitantly asked.

She smiled again. "Of course, Valerie. I wouldn't have said so, otherwise."

I sighed, but accepted her answer nonetheless. "Alright, I guess we can get going now," I said, and the others nodded. As I grabbed Piper's hand, we turned to Jasmine.

"You be safe now," Jasmine said, causing us to smile.

"Awe, you too, Jasmine," Goofy laughed as we walked to the pole leading downwards that Piper had pointed out.

Sora slid down first, then Piper, Donald and then Goofy gestured for me to go next. I sat down on the edge on the hole, my hands on the pole. I took a deep breath, before sliding down.

Ugh, I never want to experience this again; the sensation of falling, the feeling of nothing under your feet. _Never again_.

When Goofy came down, we headed to the left road from Aladdin's place. Luckily, the entrance to the desert was practically right there, so not much walking needed to be done. However, I was beginning to notice the heat. I grimaced in disgust at the sweat on my forehead. Ugh, I miss cold, damp snow.

My mood was lifted when I saw Piper animatedly talking with my three new friends. A bright grin crossed her face as Sora was telling her something, her eyes shining as he talked. Donald seemed to have made a sarcastic comment, as Sora frowned at the duck, before giving him a ruff shove causing him to face plant into the ground. This caused the rest of us to laugh, the duck scowling heavily. I chuckled before turning back forwards.

My jaw went slack as the desert came into view. Sand stretched as far as the eye could see, and the sun beat painfully hot against the sand, causing it to burn my eyes. Oh no, I was _not_ crossing this. Keyholes be dammed.

"We're not walking this, are we?" Sora sputtered in shock.

"I understand if Aladdin crossed at night, but its morning, this will kill us!" I said.

"H-hey! W-what's that?!" Goofy exclaimed, pointing to something in the distance. I frowned as I noticed him panting heavily. Oh god, I completely forgot about his fur, this must be excruciatingly painful for both him and Donald.

I looked forward, a squinting my eyes against the sun's rays and to avoid sand getting in them. And, indeed, I saw something approaching us at a very fast rate. What the heck _was_ that? Eventually, the object landed in front of us, our little group all staring dumbfounded at the freaking _carpet_.

"Is… That a carpet?" Donald squawked incredulously.

"I-it must be," I answered, my voice a few octaves higher. The carpet was jumping around excitedly, and pointed to its back with one of the corners.

Piper pulled on my skirt. I looked down, and she smiled up at me with a grin. "I think it wants us to go on," she suggested. My head whipped to look at it.

I felt my insides freeze. "We… need to go on that thing?" I asked, my voice high in pitch and fear as I stared at the magic carpet, the thing raising one of the corners as a beckon.

"What don't tell me you're scared?" Donald said, scoffing as he climbed on.

"No I'm not!" Lies. Lies everywhere! I could _feel_ how unbelieving they were.

"C'mon, Val!" Piper exclaimed, grinning at me as she took place to the currently sitting Sora and Donald. I narrowed my eyes at her. That conniving little rascal!

I took a deep breath, exhaling through my nose. "Okay… Okay, I can do this…" I muttered, slowly walking towards the carpet. When I placed a hand on the side, I let out a breathless chuckle. "Oh god…"

I heard Sora sigh and then his hand grabbed my arm, pulling me up onto the deathtrap while I let out a squeak. I closed my eyes shut, holding onto my little sister tightly, all the while whimpering. "If I go down, you're coming with me," I told her, ignoring her chuckle.

"Okay, what're you guys not telling me," Donald grumbled, and I'm sure I could _feel _his accusing glare. I opened my mouth to shoot out a lie, before Piper told him for me.

"Val has a fear of heights!" She giggled lightly. I scowled, slapping her over the head softly. She let out a hiss, but began laughing along with the guys once they began laughing, Donald being the most prominent one.

"It's not funny guys!" I wined, all of them continuing to laugh at my pain. "It's a very common fear!" I still received no response. "You're all dead to me."

I felt the carpet beneath me move like a ripple effect, causing a shuddering breath to escape my lips as I held onto Piper more tightly.

It felt like we had been flying forever, but my inner clock told me it all wasn't that long. I eventually had enough nerve to at least open my eyes, but I stayed as close to the middle as I possibly could. Well, I tied to, but that was done with difficulty as Sora and Donald were arguing about something, being obnoxious while doing so. I honestly didn't care, but Piper was beginning to really test my patience with her constant squirming and giggling at the two numskulls actions.

"Hey, what's that?" Sora suddenly blurted, interrupting Donald's sentence, causing the duck to get even more irritated. I turned slightly, looking at the area he had pointed out, causing me to frown. It was definitely note-worthy, given its ominous, dark appearance and black clouds above it. And… of course, that's where the carpet was heading. Whoopee freaking doo.

I was grateful when the carpet began to head towards the ground, but I was immediately concerned when I saw a boy slowly sinking into a large pit of sand, a cry from the others telling me they felt the same. That concern quickly turned to slight fear when Heartless appeared. We jumped off quickly, before I told the carpet to stay high in the air with Piper.

I summoned my bow, taking out two unsuspecting bandit Heartless right after. A fire arrow tickled my fingers, letting it fly through the air and cracking apart a spiderpot Heartless.

Looking for a change of pace, I took out my sword, slicing through a bandit as it tried to charge me. I spun around, only for my eyes to widen when another bandit came rushing my way. I held out my sword, clashing against the bandit's. Gritting my teeth, I tried to push against it, but my strength was slowly wavering. Trying to keep my stance, I held out my palm, and with a shout, a fireball struck against the bandit's face. It shrieked in surprise, giving me enough time to slice it. I sighed, and stumbled back.

I felt something bump into my back, and I almost sliced the perpetrator in half, before I realized it was only Goofy. I felt slightly sick when I noticed the rather large gash on his arm, blood dripping from it and cloaking his black fur. "Here, Goofy," I said in worry, handing him a high-potion. He gulped it down quickly, sighing in content when the wound healed over somewhat, although I'm pretty sure he would still need bandages and another potion later.

"Thank you, Val," he said in gratitude, smiling at me.

I smiled back at him. "No problem," I replied, before the two us both stumbled when another force hit us. I whipped my head up, grateful for it only being Sora and Donald. But then noticing the Heartless circling us made that turn to fear. There were bandits, the large fat ones I absolutely despised, a few different mages (their names slipped my mind), and tons of the regular shadow Heartless.

There was so many I couldn't count them; no way in hell was I that skilled to fight them all yet. I'm not even sure if Sora could handle them!

"Genie! Get rid of those monsters!" a voice called behind us. We turned, noticing the boy we had seen earlier holding up a… lamp? Wait; that was Aladdin! I'm sure it was.

My thoughts were interrupted when a pinkish smoke erupted from the lamp, and suddenly, the Heartless disappeared. I sighed in relief and bafflement, turning back to Aladdin. My eyes widened when I saw him sinking deeper and deeper into the sand. We rushed forward, and, grabbing hands like a chain, Sora moved forward.

"Hey, grab my hand!" he exclaimed, Aladdin following the order and reaching forward. He almost lost his grip, but then grabbed with both hands.

"Pull, Goofy!" I exclaimed, being before Sora. I gritted my teeth; having to help Sora pull the boy out of the sand with only one hand was pretty difficult.

Suddenly, I was thrown back from the force. I groaned, before the air was knocked out of my lungs. "Whoever's on me," I wheezed. "Get off!"

Suddenly, the weight was lifted, and I stood up, rubbing my head, glaring at Sora and Aladdin, both of them smiling sheepishly. I rolled my eyes, before they caught Piper and the carpet heading our way, and I smiled.

She jumped off the carpet, running up to me and grabbing my hands, staring at me with awe. "Val, you were so cool! You sliced through those Heartless like _that_! And you shot fire out of your hand! And you made that cool bow appear and disappear! And-"

"Piper? Is that you?" Aladdin asked interrupting Piper's little awe spiel. She turned to face him, and her face lit up.

"Aladdin! You're okay!" Piper exclaimed in happiness.

Aladdin smiled. "Yes! And it's thanks to… who are you four, again?"

I smiled. "I'm Valerie, Piper's sister." A look of recognition fell upon his face, probably from Piper's stories.

"I'm Sora!" the energetic boy said, giving Aladdin a grin. "That's Donald, and that's Goofy," he said for the two animals, as Donald was healing another one of Goofy's injuries.

"I'd have to thank you for saving me. I would have been dead meat in not," Aladdin said, grinning in embarrassment.

"No problem! Think of it as reward for saving my sister!" I told him with a smile.

"Oh yeah, Aladdin," Sora spoke up. "How did you make those Heartless go away?" he asked, causing me to wonder the same thing.

A bright smirk rested on his face. "Well, in my hunt in The Cave of Wonders, where I found that carpet," he pointed to said carpet, "I also found this lamp." He took out the lamp from his belt, Sora, Piper, Donald, Goofy and me examining it closely. "Legend says, the person who finds this legendary lamp, can summon the powerful-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Kid! Let me shine for a moment!" a voice shouted, causing us to jump. "They would have the power to summon me, The Genie of the Lamp!" we turned around to face the voice, and I could barely contain my excitement. There, standing- err… floating, was a giant blue mass that I knew to be both powerful and destructive if put in the wrong hands. But with the spotlight on him and the bubbly, friendly smile on his face, it was hard to think of him like that.

"Genie here has the power to grant to person with the lamp any wishes they want," Aladdin said with excitement.

"Any wish…?" Donald said with skepticism.

"Whoa, my little, fine friend," Genie said with a laugh. "Any _three_ wishes! I don't give my power out that freely. Of course there are requirements. Can't make people fall in love, bring people back from the dead, or give you any more wishes." I felt slight disappointment from that. If only I could…

"Our winner today was; Aladdin! Of course, he has already used up his first wish, so now he has two left! Then, I'll be off to another world wonder location. Say, Master, what'd you have in mind for your second wish?" Genie asked, putting an arm around Aladdin with a grin.

Aladdin stroked his chin in thought. "Hmm… How about making me a famous and fabulously wealthy prince?" he suggested, his smirk growing bigger with each word.

"Ah, I see! All the money you could ever want!" No, I did _not_ squeal in alarm when confetti rained down on me unexpectedly. "Royalty! Not to mention pretty ladies…"

Aladdin chuckled. "You know, I think I'll save my wishes for later," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, Aladdin," Piper spoke. "Why do you want to be a prince?" He flushed slightly at her question.

"Well, umm… there's this… girl. But- Argh, she could never fall for someone as poor as I am," he said sadly. I frowned. He's was talking about Jasmine, obviously- Ah, crap!

"Umm, sorry to ruin the moment," I said, making everyone turn to me. "But we currently have a princess back in Agrabah all by herself."

Aladdin's eyes widened. "You mean Jasmine?" he asked, causing us to nod. "Well what are we waiting for?! Let's go see her!" he exclaimed, running to Carpet, the rest fallowing after.

"Ugh, not again!" I groaned, sighing as I followed them, towards my imminent death.

* * *

**AN: Cough* I _really _need to work on my procrastination skills...**

**Originally, This chapter was supposed to have more to it, but I wanted to get this out today, so... Tada!**

**... Hopefully the next chapter will come out sooner.**

**The reason why this is kind of late was because... I was _slightly_ discouraged. We had to write a short story for my English class, and I poured my _heart and soul_ into mine. However, someone who barely put much effort got more feedback. **

**Anywho, I'm done being a Debby-downer, and literally wrote most of this chapter today. That was fun! (Ugh, my aching hands...)**

**On another note (sorry this AN is taking a lot longer than it should be.) I wanted to ask a few questions regarding D.A.D. Your feedback will be appreciated and may actually help turn this story into something great! :D**

**1: What do feel about Chain of Memories? Anything you wish to say about it?**

**2: How do feel about this story being told from Val's perspective? Do you think I should change it?**

**3: And finally (This one is important) how do you feel about the SoraxOC within the story? This may have some big effects to D.A.D., so I want to know. **

**Thanks for reading, and I can't wait to see your feedback! :D**

**-Adios!**


	13. Chapter 12: Confusion and Escapades

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, yada yada yada, lets get on with the chapter!**_

* * *

Oh God, when would it end?!

With another whimper, I held Piper closer to me, because due to the fact that Aladdin was now riding with us, we had to huddle, and I was a lot closer to the edge than I liked to be.

"Ah, fresh air, the wind running through my almost non-existent hair. I missed this," Genie spoke somewhere to my left, a happy sigh following after.

"It sounds like you don't get out much," Sora said, chuckling slightly nervously. Ha! The high speeds and large drop to the ground was getting to even him. I suddenly felt very smug.

There was a small moment of silence, and I assumed Genie had shrugged. "It's very rare for someone to be shown the Cave of Wonders, let alone venture deep enough where I'm hidden. I'm lucky to be out for more than a day every century or two."

I felt sympathetic enough to open my eyes and look at Genie sadly. "That seems really lonely…" I muttered, frowning.

Before Genie could respond, Aladdin spoke up, saying, "Say, Genie… What if I, I dunno, use my last wish to free you? Would you like that?" Aladdin said, smiling as the monkey on his shoulder crawled over to Goofy, the dog sputtering as Abu covered his eyes.

Genie looked at Aladdin with so much hope and happiness; it was hard to not grin with him. "You would do that for me? Really?!"

Aladdin grinned back up at him. "I promise on my honor! Once we get Jasmine, you can be your own master!"

The smile that Genie gave Aladdin was so heart-warming; I nearly forgot my fear for a second.

* * *

"Freaking _finally_!" I exclaimed in delight, jumping off the carpet the minute it got close to the ground. I stretched my limbs, grinning while my joints cracked. "Never again."

"I wouldn't bet my money on that," Donald said smugly, and I groaned.

"It's not fair!" I wined, pouting. "Why do _I_ have to be scared of heights?!" I glared at Sora as he tried to hold back his laughter. "Don't even start."

"So where's Jasmine?" Aladdin asked, grinning at our shenanigans.

Piper smiled, jugging on his pants. "She's at your place!" she stated, pointing down the road where we had left the Princess.

Aladdin grinned back. "Well, let's go see her!" he exclaimed, running down the road. I smiled, and followed after. Then, we had to suffer through the long, taxing and horrible job of actually getting into Aladdin's place. Thankfully, once again, no splattered pancake bodies, but still. I don't appreciate this!

With a sigh, I pulled myself up the steps, thankful that was over, but my attention was suddenly grabbed by everyone else looking worried as they looked around. I frowned. "What's up?"

"Shucks, it seems Jasmine isn't here," Goofy stated, scratching his head. I frowned again.

"Where could she have gone?" Piper asked worriedly, her lip trembling slightly. I immediately wrapped her in a hug.

"Hey, I'm sure she's fine," I said, giving her a small reassuring smile. She attempted to smile back.

"Hey! Guys! I think that's her!" Sora exclaimed, pointing out the window facing the plaza. We all bolted forward, and, indeed, Jasmine was in the plaza, looking around worriedly, causing my eyebrows to furrow. What could she be so nervous about?

As Aladdin opened his mouth to call out to her, she screamed in distress, and ran north, Jafar and a few Heartless following after her. "Jasmine!"

"C'mon guys!" Sora said, sliding down the pole that lead to the plaza. I scowled, but followed quickly after.

We made our way to the entrance of the palace, where Aladdin said they seemed to be heading too. I held tightly onto Piper's hand, while the others hacked and slashed at any stray Heartless we fell upon.

When we arrived at the entrance, we saw Jafar had backed Jasmine into a corner, the princess looking at him fearfully as she tried to shield into the wall as much as she possibly could.

"Get away from her, Jafar!" Aladdin growled, his scowl set dark as he glared at the man, his fists clenching at his sides, although I'm not sure it would do any good.

As expected, Jafar only laughed cruelly, "Or what, street rat? You'll steal from me?" That seemed to strike a cord in Aladdin, as he grit his teeth harder, his knuckles turning white.

"I'm so sorry," Jasmine mournfully said, her head bowed as she held her hands to her chest.

"I'm afraid I have no time to play with fools such as yourselves," Jafar said with a sneer. "Goodbye."

With a wave of his hand, a group of Heartless appeared before us. I immediately threw Piper behind me, holding out my sword before us. I couldn't afford to be reckless here.

Strangely enough, Aladdin hadn't drawn his sword. His gaze was focused on Jafar and Jasmine, his hands doing something behind his back, his mouth muttering something.

Then, all of a sudden, Genie burst fourth from the lamp in a blaze of blue smoke. We watched on in astonishment as he somehow raised all the Heartless, threw them into nearby, long forgotten carts, and sent them crashing into any walls surrounding us.

Jafar had a deep scowl set on his face as he gazed at the cheering Arabian boy. It gave Genie enough time to fly over undetected and grab Jasmine, her face in a state of shock, but thankfully, keeping silenced.

"You know, Al, you're making this pretty easy," Genie said as he floated over to our group, all of us giving thankful smiles.

Unexpectedly, Jafar had laughed. He continued, as he gave us all horrible, frightful grins. "I'm afraid I will not be beaten so easily," he said, and suddenly, Piper and I were pushed aside and thrown against a stand. Luckily, it had been a fabric stand, and we landed in a heap on clothing. However, Jasmine's scream that echoed throughout the area made me look up in alarm, and I watched as she was dropped into a pot, it quickly springing to life and turning into a pot Heartless.

I looked up even further, and I saw Genie bowing his head in shame, hid gaze focused on Jafar's hands. The lamp! Jafar had stolen it, and was looking at a red parrot on his shoulder. Iago, I think...?

"Kill them," Jafar bluntly stated as he stalked off. I tried to quickly stand as he passed me, but a sick attack to the stomach by his staff threw me back on my back. I gasped weak, ratted breaths, and Piper knelled over me, trying to help.

With an eye clenched in pain, I watched as Jafar gave me a calculating look, before turning around, and announcing, "Spare the girl."

... What...?

My eyes widened as he left, my mind going a million miles a minute.

Why me...? Why did Jafar let _me_ go, and not the others? I wasn't really special, considering we had Sora on our team. I wasn't as strong as the others, either. So... why...?

I couldn't really spend much more time on my inner monologue, as an... urchin(?), crab like Heartless appeared, and took place around the one that had Jasmine. I quickly jumped to my feet, despite the aching pain in my stomach and back.

"Stay hiding behind here," I told Piper, her head nodding in agreement. Then, I quickly ran off with the others.

"Val? You okay?" Sora asked as I ran up to him. He seemed to be drinking a potion, and there was a large gash on his arm.

"Yeah," I answered, quickly casting Cure to help. He gave a grateful smile, before stalking off into battle. I hesitated, thinking back to what Jafar had said, but shook my head and following after my friend.

You know, I really did _not _like this thing. It was extremely agile, and, unfortunately, every _damn time_ I tried to land a strike, it would freaking _dodge_ it. So now, as I wasn't the fastest, I was now shooting arrows from a distance and healing the others.

I watched as Aladdin and Goofy attacked with a barrage of relentless blows against the Heartless. I raised an eyebrow, realizing that Sora had up and poofed, until, suddenly, and I'm not kidding; he jumped down from the sky.

Donald (who had been using magic with me) and I watched in astonishment as Sora came from above with relentless combos. The Heartless couldn't use its agility to dodge, and had to take the hits. We quickly shook off our shock, and began firing magic (arrows for me too) to assist him, Aladdin and Goofy also out in front.

The Heartless screeched, and freaking finally died in a blaze of black smoke and a heart floating up into the sky. I sighed in relief, but then I realized something was missing.

"Jasmine?" Aladdin called out in worry, and I realized our mistake.

We lost Jasmine.

"Damn it, we lost them," I growled, glaring off into the maze of streets that the Heartless and Jasmine disappeared into. "There's no way we'll find them out there."

A cry from Abu caught our attention. As I looked up, the monkey was pointing frantically to the desert, jumping up and down in excitement. A large grin spread across my face. I laughed, and pointed to Abu. "Follow the monkey, guys!" They nodded, slightly sullenly, before doing just that.

Thankfully, Abu wasn't too hard to track, considering his squeaking and crying. We weaved in and out through different streets, making sure to keep the monkey in sight. Although, I was panting pretty hard due to the heat; but I was pushing forward, because we _had_ to find Jasmine. I was thankful that Aladdin was now giving Piper a piggy back ride, because she looked pretty puckered out. Sora was in a bit better shape than me, but I was worried for Donald and Goofy.

Finally, we arrived at an entrance to the desert. It wasn't the same one we used earlier, but Carpet was already there, beckoning us on. With panting breaths, we got on, (I was groaning on the inside though), and Carpet took off.

It was really silent, and the tension was making me very uncomfortable and itchy. Piper was sniffling softly, and I was rubbing her back in comfort, hugging her. Aladdin was in the same state as her, if not worse. He was scowling with determination, staring in the direction we were heading. No one said a word, but I wished they did. Dealing with Sora and Donald's bickering seemed much more appealing than the depressed mood hanging over our heads.

Unfortunately for me, I was mostly still thinking about what Jafar had said, and the others had noticed it too, as occasionally, they would give me curious glaces.

Thankfully, we arrived back at the Cave of Wonders, however, unlike last time, a large stone lion head was prodding out of the sand. Its gaze was frightful, despite being made of stone. I gulped as the rest began to make their way into the lightened entryway- the lion's mouth.

"Let's try to avoid any battles if necessary," Aladdin said from the front, gesturing to my sister, who was currently riding his back. We nodded, but I saw Sora giving a small disappointed look, almost making me laugh.

We were (not quite) stealthily traversing the cave. Originally, we were, quite literally, running in circles, until Piper helpfully pointed out a hallway that most of the Heartless seemed to be pouring out of. We took a look and guessed that was where Jafar was, along with Jasmine. So, we took refuge behind a large pillar and waited.

It was quite a strange sight taking place at the entryway. A Large Body was growling and making screeches at smaller Heartless, mainly shadows and rhapsodies. The larger Heartless knocked one on the head, and it screeched back in anger. I didn't know what they seemed to be conversing about, and I didn't want to know.

"C'mon, is it gunna move?" Sora whined, scowling at the Large Body, hopping from foot to foot in impatience. It had seemed to take permanent residence at the front of the entryway, and it wasn't moving, growling at anything that went near it; including other Heartless.

"We may have to fight that thing," Donald said, also scowling at the lumbering Heartless. Goofy beside him frowned.

"Well, gee, Donald. That may alert other Heartless," Goofy said, looking around nervously as his ears drooped.

I took a peek around the pillar, and frowned uncomfortably at all the Heartless I saw. Rhapsodies were flying around, taking up the entire ceiling. Bandits were stationed on every pillar, over looking the area, and Large Bodies were lumbering in all the tracks and paths. There was also pot Heartless, shadows and armor Heartless. All in all, I'd say our chance of fighting them all were pretty slim.

"Well… How about we make distraction?" I suggested.

Donald had a thinking face. Then, he began to draw things in the sand with his staff. I wasn't too sure... what it was. It had words and diagrams, but... the duck's handwriting and drawing skills weren't all that great.

Suddenly, Donald looked at Sora and I with an evil face, and I gulped in fear at what the duck was cooking up.

* * *

Why did I agree to do this?

This was a stupid idea.

I sighed, and glanced at Sora from the other side of the fork in the pathway. He gave me an excited grin along with a thumbs-up, causing me to take a deep breath.

'_Relax_,' I told myself.

Abruptly, Sora jumped out, facing the room full of Heartless. "Oi!" he yelled, making them turn to him. He grinned. "Bet'cha can't catch me!" he said, waving his arms and furrowing his eyes as his grin turned to a smirk.

The Heartless' screeched in anger, and began to make their way to him. Or... they tried. They seemed so intent on catching Sora, that they were tripping, punching, kicking and even trampling each other. The sight made Sora's grin falter, alerting me that I should most likely jump out now, especially when it seemed the Heartless got their crap together.

With another deep breath, I jumped out alongside Sora. "Bet all you weaklings are too _delicate_ to fight me!" I yelled, giving them a confident smirk like Sora had. My statement made them even more furious than they had before, and they immediately rushed forward.

Let me tell you; Large Bodies, Rhapsodies, Soldier, Pot, Spider, Bat and shadow Heartless literally _bolting_ towards you in a fury, their intentions of killing you on their mind is as frightening as it sounds. The grin's on Sora and mine's immediately fell, and we instantly launched down our separate paths in the fork, Sora taking the left while I took the right.

You see, Donald came up with a plan. A very risky plan, mind you, but a plan nonetheless. Sora and and I would attract the Heartless in the room, split them equally, than, we would run down two different paths. Piper and Goofy would be waiting up on a ledge, and once I passed, they would push a boulder on ice, (courtesy of Donald), and it would crush the Heartless behind me.

As I neared where we agreed the boulder would be placed, I heard the Heartless' footsteps gaining on me. I huffed in short intervals, and sweat was making hair stick to my face, despite the ponytail I'd put it in, but I pushed my legs further.

Of a sudden, a resounding, _**THUD **_shook the ground beneath me. I promptly turned around, and let out a sigh of relief when I saw the large boulder, but no Heartless. I looked up, seeing Piper and Goofy giving me smile. I gave one of my own, along with a thumbs up.

We met back up with Sora, Donald and Aladdin. Sora seemed just as puckered out as I was, but there was a huge, excitable grin on his face. "Let's do that again!" he said, his eyes shining with mirth.

I rolled my eyes, and I'm pretty sure Donald had too. "As fun as _that_ sounds, we still need to find Jasmine," I drawled sarcastically, frowning.

Sora pouted at me, but didn't argue. "C'mon guys," Donald said, heading towards the entrance that lead farther into the cave.

The Large Body that had been blocking the way had left, probably chasing either Sora or I during our escapade earlier, but I wasn't complaining. "Let's go before they come back," Aladdin said, following after the duck.

* * *

**AN: Wow, I didn't update nearly 4 months later... not too bad.**

originally, this chapter would have been longer and out sooner, however, my (new!) computer derped and I lost all of my chapter. It was slightly discouraging, and I wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible so... here ya go! The next chapter should be longer... hopefully... and maybe out sooner... hopefully.

Oh yeah! This chapter is dedicated to pokeheroaadyn! Happy birthday Aadyn!:D

On another note, I'm introducing a new aspect of D.A.D. Sneak-peaks! So, here ya go!

_**Next time, on Don't Accept Defeat:**_

"Holy mothe-_ Oh my god!_"

"Jafar!"

"Genie, no!

"Goofy! Donald!"

"She's gone... I lost her..."

Anywho, until next time! (Oh yeah, who's excited for 2.8?! :D)

-Adios! 


	14. Chapter 13: A Bitter After Taste

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, blah, blah, blah. Oh yeah, prepare yourselves because, oh boy, this chapter is a_ doozy_. **

* * *

Okay, I'm pretty sure I'm gunna be picking sand out of my clothes, (now tangled) curly hair and shoes for at least a week.

I swatted away some of the aggravating sand from my face, huffing a few strands of hair too. I'd admit, this heat was getting to me. I was already slightly exhausted, but I wouldn't complain. We just had to find Jasmine, get Genie back, and defeat Jafar. Then I could peacefully go back to Traverse Town with Piper.

Speaking of... I turned back around to look at my newly found sister, and smiled at the sight of her talking animatedly with Sora and Goofy. Her green eyes were shining brightly as she spoke, her arms waving around her widely, a wide grin on her face. Sora seemed to be listening very intently, his face filled with intrigue, and listening to every word. Goofy was walking beside them, smiling in what looked like amusement and fondness, although he was also listening in intrigue as well. Perhaps she was explaining something about our home. The sight made me smile. Her happiness was just completely contagious for me. It was a ginormous weight off my shoulders.

Abruptly, Piper cut off in the middle of her sentence, a tired yawn escaping her mouth. She rubbed at her bleary eyes, and Sora chuckled. He knelled in front of her, surprising me, said something, and she climbed on his back. I smiled at the sight, glad to see Piper get along with my new friends so well, before it quickly faded.

I... knew I had to go back with Piper to Traverse Town, but...

I wanted to continue my journey. Meeting people, defeating heartless, locking keyholes, traveling _worlds_. It was thrilling, _exciting_. I loved every minute of it. But I couldn't just leave Piper. We didn't have anyone anymore. It was just each other. I couldn't leave her alone and just abandon her.

"Valerie? Are you okay?" Donald suddenly asked, bringing me out of my reverie.

I shook my head, giving Donald a reassuring smile. "Yup, just peachy!"

The duck rolled his eyes at my wording, but didn't push any farther. Besides, there was a set of stairs coming our way, and I'd rather not fall down on my face as I continued my inner monologue, so that was that, I guess. I'd have to think about this later.

We began to make our way down the stairs, a little apprehensively, might I add, as the light kept getting dimmer and dimmer as we traversed them. Donald summoned a flame on the front of his staff, taking the lead and using the flame almost like a Nicolas Cage or Indiana Jones film -I silently laughed at myself for that thought-.

For some reason, the stairs seemed to be going on forever. Somehow, our group was being strangely quiet, surprisingly, but I was somewhat thankful for it.

Despite telling myself not to dwell on it, my thoughts kept going back to what Jafar had ordered to the Heartless earlier. '_Spare the girl..._' But why? I wasn't particularly special. I just didn't _get_ it.

I heaved a sigh, swiping away at the sweat that gathered at my forehead. A light began to poke out at the front of the tunnel, and we sped up a bit.

When we exited the tunnel, I felt my eyes widen wide in shock.

"Oh my _god!_"

Mountains and mountains of gold, jewels and treasures lay in front of us. This amount of money would make anyone rich beyond measures!

Okay, okay, I had to compose myself.

However, despite that, I felt like inching forwards even more, Donald doing the same. "Guys!" Sora called out, making me turn around. I chuckled nervously at the stares I was receiving from the four.

I quickly gave them an innocent smile, and stuck my leg out, tripping Donald in his advances towards the very... _irresistible_, treasure. "Donald!" I scolded, giving the duck a glare with my hands on my hips.

He glared back, rubbing at his injured head. "What was _that_ for?!"

I smiled back at the group, but they weren't buying it, Piper giving me a pout-frown, crossing her arms. I repeated her stance, dropping my fake smile. "C'mon guys, even_ I _was tempted by it. Think of all the stuff you could buy with just a little of it!"

I saw them roll their eyes, and they began to make way to the staircase on the other side of the room. I sighed, bringing Donald to his feet, dragging him to the others despite his quacks of protest, (and no, I didn't grab a few gold coins, shh.)

Thankfully, this staircase wasn't as long as the one before. We quickly made our way down them, and found ourselves in a large room. Large candles hung on the solid rock walls, and I spotted Jafar on the other side, Genie faithfully beside him, head bowed in shame, an unconscious Jasmine laying on the ground. However, there seemed to be a new guest with them, one I knew too well.

Maleficent.

However, what made me confused was the strange... eerie beauty of the witch. Her ebony hair spilled slightly out of her strange headpiece, and her dark, onyx eyes stared at us. This definitely wasn't the original from the old Sleeping Beauty.

We stopped in our tracks as we caught sight of her. Sora growled, "Who are you?" to her, but she didn't answer the Keyblade wielder, instead giving us a deep, frightening stare that made me quake in my shoes somewhat. Especially, when her eyes landed on me.

The witch seemed to give me a knowing and calculating one-over, the tips of her mouth curling upwards. Then, she turned around with a swish of her cloak, and left us through a portal that appeared before her. It made shivers of unease go up my spine due to the sheer... calm frightening aura she gave off.

"Jafar!" Aladdin yelled in anger, holding his sword out in front of him, prepared to attack at a moment's notice. "Let Jasmine and Genie go!" he exclaimed, but I wasn't sure it would do much good.  
Like I expected, Jafar only laughed mockingly at the boy's order. "I'm afraid not, street rat. You see, I'm still not quite done with my intentions for the two of your _dear _ones."

I gritted my teeth. "What _are_ your intentions, Jafar?"

Jafar's gaze turned to me, making me hold out my sword in preparation for a fight. "That, in none of _your_ concern, girl." He laughed again as he noticed us grow impatient at his response. He turned to Genie, and an evil, sinister grin grew upon his face. "As for my second wish-" he already used the first one? "crush them to pieces!"

Genie gave us a guilt ridden look, and floated even closer to us, making me back up in fear. Who knew what an overpowered, celestial being would do when he was ordered to kill you with no say so? "I'm so sorry, guys!" he cried, remorse dripping from his voice as he tried to hold himself back.

Piper tugged at my skirt, and with tears in her eyes, she called to our friend, "Please don't do it, Genie!"

Genie gave her a sorrowful smile. "I'm sorry, kiddo..." Piper hiccuped, and her grip on me tightened. "I'll try and hold myself back, just defeat him as fast as you can!"

"You betcha!" Sora told him, a determined smile on his face.

"Yeah, we're not gunna let our friend be used by nobody!" Goofy added, a, well, _goofy_ smile on his face.

Genie smiled, but then his arms began shaking. His smile immediately dropped and he cried in alarm, "Watch out, guys!"

The cave began shaking and I quickly grabbed Piper out of the way of a falling rock. Jafar's laugh echoed throughout the cave, almost making me shiver. "Why, I'm so sorry for cutting your _heart-warming_ moment short, but I'm afraid you're not going to live much longer!"

Once again, the ground shook wildly, almost making us fall off balance. "Go to the stairs, _and stay there," _I sternly told Piper, my sister nodding and bolting to the only safe area this place had to offer.

I quickly focused back to the problem at hand once I knew she was safe. Sora, Donald, Goofy and Aladdin were running around, trying to avoid Genie's attacks while simultaneously trying not to hurt him. Jafar was watching on with a manically, satisfied grin on his face, smiling as my blood went cold when Goofy was thrown into the wall after a punch from Genie he was too slow to avoid.

A chorus of, "Goofy!" was yelled throughout the room, including the Genie who had been the one to hit the dog. I quickly ran over to my fallen friend, grimacing at both the look of complete guilt and hurt on Genie's face and the whimper of pain Goofy let out as I approached him.

"Goofy!" I cried in alarm, dropping to his side. He was able to sit up, but not without holding his abdomen carefully and a large grimace of pain.

"I'll be fine, Valerie," he said, taking a potion from his pocket. "You go help the others."

I bit my lip, hesitant to leave him alone, but the sounds of the battle raging behind me sounded much more important. "Don't push yourself," I quickly said, standing back up and bolting the other way.

Things didn't look good, to say the least. Aladdin and Sora couldn't even get close to Jafar, and Donald seemed to have injured his leg, if what I could see from his limp was right. Genie was hindering us significantly. We had no chance.

Unless... My eyes hardened in determination, sheathing my sword and summoning my bow, (which, admittedly, I hadn't been using as often as I should be), pulling back the string and pointing it at Jafar.

_Here goes_!

I released the string, the fire arrow flying through the air, making a whizzing sound. It hit its intended target, Jafar's robe, ripping a whole in the fabric and causing a small area to burst aflame. The man began to sputter indignantly once he had noticed me actually hit him, (although I didn't really do much), and spun to face me with a deep scowl.

My jaw went slack, and I was rooted to my spot in fear because I was _terrified_. He was looking at me with a murderous expression, and I was genuinely really scared.

All of a sudden, Jafar had disappeared, making my eyes widen in alarm. I spun in circles, my bow held tightly to my chest, until I heard a menacing voice say in my ear, "That was _very_ foolish of you, girl."

I spun around, only to see the towering form of Jafar in front of me, eyes dark and scowl deep. "I was planning to spare you but you've test my _patience_," he hissed, and I couldn't move in fear, watching as he raised his scepter, the snake eyes glowing a deep red. "Farewell, _Valerie Viche_."

My ears rung, and although I could distantly hear, _'Valerie!'_ I wasn't paying much attention. My thoughts were running a million miles a minute, the most prominent one being, '_I'm going to die_. _I'm going to die, and I won't be able to continue my journey with Sora, Donald and Goofy, and I was going to leave Piper all alone.'_

No... I couldn't... Not after what I've already done, and not after I finally found her.

Finally, my senses came back to me, and I dropped to the ground, kicking Jafar's feet out from under him. He fell with yelp, but I was quick to hit him in the head with the but of my bow, effectively knocking him out.

Wow... that was... easy.

I breathed deeply, ears ringing in my adrenalin, but I quickly stood back to my feet, the sound of footsteps making their way towards me. I turned, lips quirking in a breathless smile as I watched my concerned (and also flabbergasted apparently) friends, including Genie, making their way towards me.

Donald shook his head. "All mighty sorcerer defeated by a kick to the legs," he muttered sarcastically.

I chuckled, still a little in shock. "Yeah... I know, right?"

"You okay, Val?" Sora asked concerned.

I nodded, rubbing at my arms. "Yup... Still a little in near death shock, but I'll be fine," I answered, chuckling.

Thankfully, it lightened the mood, making smiles appear on their faces as Piper came over. "Val! You're okay!" she exclaimed, tackling my midsection tightly in a hug.

I chuckled again, hugging her back. "Lot harder than that to take me down," I joked, although inwardly I knew I was lying.

"Let's go check on Jasmine," Aladdin suggested, already making his way to the princess. We agreed, following him.

"Gosh, guys. I'm so sorry for any pain I caused you," Genie apologized, a sorrow and guilty filled expression on his face.

"Gee, Genie! There's nothing to be sorry for," Goofy said, giving a kind smile to our distraught friend.

"Yeah! Its not like you could control it!" Sora added, giving his own smile.

"Yup!" I continued, popping the 'p'. "You tried you're hardest to fight back, too!"

Genie looked stunned, before he gave us a heart-warming, fond smile. "Thanks, you guys."

Piper giggled, grabbing onto Genie's hand. "Besides! You're our friend!" I felt my smile grow wider and warmer at my sister's words. She was just so kind and her brightness contagious.

We heard a chuckle in front of us, and I saw a drowsy Jasmine smiling. "Looks like I have a new friend to meet," she said, leaning onto Aladdin for support.

"Why, nice to meet you, lovely lady friend of my dear Al!" Genie said exaggeratedly, making all of us chuckle and snicker, excluding Aladdin himself.

"Really, Genie?" Aladdin groaned, shaking his slightly red face.

"C'mon, its so easy to rile you up, you little stud muffin, you!" Genie continued, flying right up in the boy's face, pulling at his red cheeks, making Donald snicker louder beside me.

I suddenly heard Sora's laughs cut off, and I turned to him, confused as he began to walk ahead of the group. It was only when I saw him raise the Keyblade, and the beam to shoot out of it and into a large, stone keyhole, did I realize why.

After there was a locking sound, Sora turned back with a grin, and I was about to give one of my own before his face turned into one of alarm and shock. "Guys!"

The ground shook again, and we spun around, watching Jafar weakly raise to his knees. "G-Genie..." he rasped out. "My final wish!" he reached into his robe, pulling out Genie's lamp. "Grant me your powers! The powers of an all, powerful, _indestructible _Genie!"

Well that's not good. _Definitely_ not good.

Genie weakly raised a meek finger, hands shaking and covering his eyes. A small, tiny burst of light shot from his hand, in the path of Jafar. As it struck the man, he began to laugh and cackle madly, eyes wide in excitement, staring at his hands in wonder. It felt almost... creepy, somehow, how he turned from a frightening, menacing man to almost plain... well, crazy and power hungry.

"Yes! _This_ is the power I have been seeking!" he cackled, hunching over as his body shook and began to change. I held Piper close, hiding her face as she whimpered in fear. A mixture of red and black smoke began to rise from his form, shielding him away from our eyes. The ground shook beneath our feet, but we weren't knocked down.

The body of smoke that once used to be Jafar began to move into the middle of the room, and the large, solid rock formation in the ground cracked as the smoke slammed into it. We flinched back, Genie holding his hands out in front of us in a protective matter as it slammed once again into the rocks. Again, and again, until eventually, the rocks broke apart, falling down into a hidden chasm that I didn't know existed, the smoke falling with them.

Genie flew forward, peering down into the chasm wearily, eyes widening in alarm. "Guys, you may wanna check this out."

Looking at the others with a curious look, all of them doing the same, we cautiously made our way forward, peering down like Genie had, eyes widening too.

"Well, that's ominous," I chuckled nervously, trying to lighten the mood as sweat appeared on my brow due to the heat from the freaking _lava_ below us.

"Where did Jafar go?" Aladdin questioned, cautiously grasping the hilt of his sword.

"He disappeared!" Donald observed, eyes furrowing in annoyance.

"Well," Sora said, letting out a nervous scoff-like laugh. "Leap of faith, I guess...?"

"No," I said, tossing the idea immediately. "I am _not_ jumping down there with the chance of falling into lava and possibly breaking my legs."

"Well, gwarsh, what other choice do we have?" Goofy questioned, scratching his head under his hat absentmindedly.

"Uh..."

Genie opened his mouth, raising a finger to speak, before Piper piped up, "Carpet!" face full of enthusiasm as she pointed in front of us. And, indeed, the sentient carpet was speedily making its way toward us.

"Man, carpet! You have great timing!" Aladdin laughed, grinning as carpet stopped in front of us, gesturing us on. Genie pouted, but didn't say a word as we began to climb on.

"I'll stay up here," Jasmine said from her place behind us, smiling encouragingly. "Good luck, guys."

Sora gave a large grin, along with a thumbs up. Piper, Donald, Goofy and I did the same, while Aladdin moved forward to say something quickly to her. She smiled up at him, before giving him a quick peck on the cheek. The Arabian boy turned beet red, and we all snickered at him, Genie flying over behind the two and making a heart out of smoke, making our laughs louder.

As the others began to climb aboard, I knelt in front on Piper, putting my hands on her shoulders. "I want you to stay here, okay?" I said, giving her a serious look.

She frowned stubbornly. "But I wanna help!" she protested, crossing her arms.

I shook my head. "I don't want you to get hurt, Piper, not after I just found you." She continued to frown, causing me to sigh. "Please, Pip, stay with Jasmine. For me?"

There was a few seconds of silence, until she caved. "Okay... but you better come back, okay?"

I smiled. "Of course, squirt," I chuckled, ruffling her hair as she swatted at my hands, protesting. "I'll be back!" I said, climbing onto carpet with the others. Jasmine held Piper in a hug, waving at us as Piper watching us leave sadly, nonetheless waving too.

Carpet raised, making me eep before it began to fall into the chasm like Jafar had. The air immediately turned into a hot, boiling sauna, making me pant slightly under my breath.

Once carpet had neared the ground, we jumped off, positioned and ready to attack the moment danger appeared.

"Where is he?" Donald muttered under his breath, eyes furrowing once Jafar hadn't appeared. "Did he turn coward and run...?"

"Uh... I don't think so," Sora said weakly behind me. The ground shook once again, and a large mass burst from the lava. I jumped back to avoid any falling lava, and from the now even more terrifying Jafar.

The giant mass of Jafar towered over us threateningly, arms crossed in a condensing way, an arrogant smirk on his face as he eyed us over. "My, my. It seems rats have stumbled into my _humble_ abode," he drawled, eyes filled with malice.

Although I was shaking slightly, I righted my sword, eyes narrowing in determination. "Bring it on, Jafar!" Aladdin exclaimed fearlessly.

Jafar laughed cruelly. "That's if you can actually land a hit." Although I hate to admit it, he was kinda right. He had the powers of Genie now, and we could barely fight them earlier when Genie was holding back as much as he could. Who knows what he could now. But we had to try.

A squawk from my left caught my attention, and at the corner of my eye, I saw Iago carrying a onyx black lamp with difficulty, the bird panting heavily.

That's right! Jafar must have a lamp now that he was a Genie! And since Iago was carrying around said lamp...

That would actually make this a bit more easy that I thought. Of course, that is to say Jafar didn't keep us from getting to his little parrot side-kick. However, he still didn't seem used to his powers, so, hopefully, he wouldn't use them much.

The menacing laugh of Jafar brought me back to the present, and I righted my sword once again. Suddenly, Jafar's large fist slammed down on the ground, and I was sent tumbling down, effectively bringing the others with me. "Why, you're that pathetic, are you?" the man said, a sneer on his face. "I would have expected more of a fight."

As I was rising to my knees, I heard Aladdin growl under his breath, before he suddenly bolted forward, sword raised and shooting a yell of fury. Catching Jafar off guard, he landed a hit on the man's arm, making him yell in pain. With a growl, he smacked the boy away, sending him flying. We shouted for him, but thankfully, Genie had caught him.

However, the air was suddenly squeezed out of me, and I gasped. Jafar had grabbed me, and Sora, apparently, and his grip was too strong to do anything about it.

"I got you guys!" Genie exclaimed, readying a spell or something, before he suddenly cried in pain. With an eye clenched in pain, I was as Genie was suddenly attack by these ugly, greenish monsters that had probably been summoned by Jafar. There were ones that seemed like grunts, while there were other, stronger armored ones that were attacking Genie. Unfortunately, he was completely cornered, and he had no time to save us.

So, quickly acting, I turned my head to Aladdin, Donald and Goofy. "Guys! Go get the bird and get the lamp!"

They looked at me confused, and it seemed Sora had caught onto my plan. "Yeah! Get the lamp!"

"But why?" Aladdin questioned, before yelping as a large, flaming boulder was thrown his way from Jafar.

I breathed an annoyed sigh through my nose. "Just get it!"

"What'll it do?" Goofy asked.

"Oh my god!" I yelled. "For the _last_ time!" I tried again, glaring at the three as I struggled for breath. "Get. The. _**BIRD**_!"

They balked at me, before nodding, heading off in Iago's direction. I gasped again as Jafar tightened his hold, laughing maniacally. He brought me and Sora closer, almost right in his face, and I cringed in pain. "Well, well, I'm going to have fun killing you," he chuckled, grinning largely. Terrified, I tried to struggle harder, only for him to tighten his grip, making me wheeze.

I distantly heard Sora growl under his breath, before he raised his head, bringing it down and sinking his teeth into the hand holding him. With a shout of pain, Jafar had released him, the boy tumbling to the ground. I was about to try the same thing, before Jafar suddenly moved, holding my practically prone form over the lava. I yelped, staying still.

"I wouldn't do anything funny now, wielder. We wouldn't want me to... _accidentally_ drop your friend into the lava, would you?" Oh, for the love of-

Sora looked completely lost on what to do, and my heart thumped in my chest as I realized Jafar was slowly releasing his hold on me. "I don't care what you do, just do it now, and save me, dammit!" I yelled, panic enveloping my chest.

Sora balked in bafflement, before frowning in determination, leaping up and jumping onto Jafar's arm, running up it and to his head. Jafar made a noise of confusion, before smirking as he hardened his skin like an armor in preparation of Sora's attack, loosening his grip on me -making me yelp- before the boy completely dodged his head and ran around. My jaw went slack, and I raised an eyebrow. '_What's he thinking?!_'

Jafar also looked pretty confused, before suddenly, um... Sora held Jafar's neck in a choke hold with his legs, covering the man's eyes with his hands, making Jafar bump into the formation of rock, effectively dropping me into safety.

I was about to call my thanks to my friend, before he yelled to me, "Don't bother with Jafar; I'll handle him! Just find a way to stop him!" I hesitated, before nodding and turning around to see Donald, Goofy, Aladdin and Genie's progress.

Genie was still fighting the summoned monsters, however my spirits lifted up when I realized the other three had gotten the lamp, but it seemed the summons were causing some trouble for them.

Quickly thinking, I summoned my bow, and pulled the string, releasing an ice arrow to the floor. It created a patch of ice, knocking a few of the grunts over, who than fell into some of the armored ones and like a domino effect they fell into the lava. I had successfully gotten rid of quite a few of them... admittedly kinda stupidly, but oh well.

"Guys!" I called, catching the attention from the four of them. "C'mon, we have a chance to defeat Jafar!"

"I'll cover you guys!" Genie said, blasting a few of the never-ending enemies by a... rainbow, in the way of the three. "Just end this guy already!"

The three wasted no time in making their way over to me, avoiding enemy's as I shot away any that tried to follow. Once they made their way over, they saw the struggling Sora and Aladdin pointed the lamp at Jafar. "Time to take a nap, Jafar!" Good, he caught on to what I was trying to say earlier.

At that moment, the man had realized what we were doing, and with an angry shout, tossed Sora from his back. The boy yelled in fright, but thankfully landed beside us, the fall not that far. "No! NO! I will not be defeated!" Jafar hissed, scowling darkly at us. "You insignificant _fools!_ I will make you _**pay**_!"

He hunched over, clutching at his chest, before he was beginning to get sucked to the lamp. "_ARGH! No! Not like this!"_

Beginning with his tail, he was sucked into the lamp, clawing at the ground in a pathetic attempt to get away from his fate, even grabbing onto Iago, the bird squawking in fear. With one, last, lingering shout of fury, he was gone.

There was a few seconds of silence, before we all smiled and chuckled in relief. "Well... that was exciting!" Genie cheerfully said, a bright smile on his face.

"Say that to my back," Sora muttered, but was nonetheless grinning.

"Awe, you're a wuss," Donald haughtily said, sticking his beak in the air.

Sora scowled, flicking the duck's beak, making him squawk indignantly. "Who was the one who jumped on Jafar's back?" This casually turned into an argument.

I bit my lip, chuckling loudly at their antics. "Girls. girls, you're both pretty. Can we go now?" They whirled around, gaping at me in almost horror.

"I'm not a girl!" they both exclaimed, making the rest of us laugh.

Carpet ended up being stuck under a large bolder of rock, and we climbed aboard. We began to make our way back up to where Piper and Jasmine was, and despite me clenching my fists really hard because of my stupid fear, I was smiling brightly. We had defeated a bad guy, saved another world, and I had found Piper

Guess I should have predicted that things never end that perfectly, huh...?

* * *

The gang made their way back up, and jumped off of carpet once they landed.

With a grin, Valerie was about to say something, before her foot collided with an object. Curiously, she looked down, and picked up the blue object, only for her eyes to widen. "T-this... This is..."

It was Jasmine's tiara.

She bolted to her feet, wildly looking around. "Pip!" she called, eyes wide as she realized she didn't see them anywhere. "Pip, answer me!"

"Valerie?" Aladdin asked, making the girl turn to him with wide eyes. With a heart-broken expression, he shakily pointed to the object in her hand. "That... That's not Jasmine's tiara..." He gulped the lump in his throat. "...Is it?"

A large breath escaped her mouth, and she looked at the ground with a sorrow filled look. Holding the tiara in front of her, she whispered, "I'm sorry... Piper's gone, too..."

Aladdin took the headpiece with shaking hands, before holding it tightly to his head, stifling sobs into it.

As Valerie watched the boy, she felt tears come to her eyes, and she fell to her knees. An empty feeling enveloped her chest, and she held her stomach in comfort. Cupping a hand to her mouth, she cried into it.

"I'm sorry... I'm so, _so_ sorry... I was supposed to protect her, and I-I didn't..." she weakly whispered, sobs wracking her body. "This is all my fault."

Sora, Donald and Goofy watched their two friends, sympathy and sadness going out for them. Goofy went over, and wrapped Valerie in a hug, the girl sobbing into his chest, muttering apologies as the dog stroked her hair. Donald looked up to Sora with a helpless look, not knowing what to do or say.

Suddenly, the cave shook, rocks falling from the ceiling. Carpet came rushing to them, and Aladdin climbed on with Donald, the boy seeming to have gotten out of his shock. That couldn't be said for Valerie, who was still crying, Goofy standing over her and trying to coax her to leave, making Sora frown in sadness.

Worried for his friend, he went over, kneeling and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him, and he flinched a bit at the... empty look on her face. "I know you're sad," he began. "But would Piper want you to stay here and die?"

His words seemed to have an effect, as she rubbed at her eyes, and stood up. They quickly made their way to Carpet, and climbed aboard.

Before they took off, Sora suddenly felt hands wrap around his mid-section, and he turned around, frowning at the form of Valerie, hiding her face in his hood, silently crying and seeking comfort. He turned back forward, because he wasn't the best with the... comforting crying girls thing.

But he wanted to help her, he just didn't know _how_. Her entire family was gone, what was he supposed to say to that?

He just hoped she would be able to come through this. After all, she had him, Donald and Goofy there for her.

* * *

**AN: Phew... So, that happened. (I'm sorry please don't hurt me)  
**  
**This chapter is probably one of the longest I've ever written, and considering its an action packed chapter, just... wow. Almost 5400 words. A lot of things happened that I had _not_ intended for, while other things I did, but whatever.**

**Its currently... Oh gosh, its almost 2:00 in the morning. I am very tired, I just got home from a visit to my relatives, and I am a bit stressed with the fact that I have three projects due (I'm so tired I could barely spell that right) and a huge math test this week, so the quality may not be the best considering I just wrote basically the whole chapter hiding in a room for a few hours. S'cuse my jumbled mind at the moment.**

**So, other than that, have you seen the new trailer for 2.8?! Looks amazing! Also, I'm not sure if its true, but I heard that there is a movie in the make too, so that's something to be excited for!**

**Anywho, I'm off to bed, so that'll all for now! Oh! Besides the sneak peak for the next chapter!**

**_Next time:_**__

"_She's been in her room for a long time. Do you think she'll ever come out?"  
_  
"_It's **your** fault! All of it!"  
_  
_"I... I'm scared. I just want her **back**."  
_  
**That's all for now! (Oh yeah, sorry for the long AN.)  
**  
**-Adios!**


	15. Chapter 14: Confrontations and Comfort

**DISCLAIMER: I'll have you know, I am good at math, don't have an obsession with belts, and definitely don't have the creativity for something like Kingdom Hearts. So no. I don't own it.**

**WARNING: Sad backstories and angst. You have been warned.**

* * *

Things were... awkward, to say the least.

Once everyone arrived back at Aladdin's, they mostly sat in a tense silence. Valerie hadn't said anything, just sitting with her hands clasped in her lap, eyes distant and glassy. Aladdin had an angry, pensive expression of his face, scowling at the floor. Sora nervously tapped his fingers against his leg, eyes darting to each of his friends.

"Guys, let me go with you," Aladdin suddenly said, looking up from the floor.

Sora looked at the two animals, a helpless expression on his face. They looked back with sadly, and Sora cringed. "I'm sorry, Aladdin. You can't come with us."

Aladdin's head whipped to him, an angry and betrayed look thrown his way. "What?! Why not?! I _have_ to find Jasmine!"

Sora looked at the ground guiltily, lips pursed. "I'm sorry... It's kinda against the rules. I can't tell you why, but we just can't." Aladdin stared helplessly, before sighing and looking back down. Sora's eyes furrowed sadly, before saying with determination, "But I promise, I'll find Jasmine for you. She'll come back safe." He stole a glance at the still silent Valerie, and he added, "Piper too."

Valerie perked up at her little sister's name, before the corners of her lips tipped upwards in a small appreciating smile. Sora grinned a little at her, before turning back to Aladdin.

Aladdin sighed, before gloomily muttering, "Alright. I'm counting on you, Sora."

"Awe, come on, Al," Genie said, slapping the boy on the back, almost throwing him forward. "Remember? You still have one wish left! Come on, just say the word, and I can zap Jasmine back right now!"

Aladdin glanced at his friend from the corner of his eye, before turning to the side. "Genie, I wish... I wish for your freedom."

Genie, who had been in the middle of preparing up a spell, gasped astonishingly at Aladdin. "Al?!" He gasped once again, as blue and purple smoke began to cover his form, and he cried out in surprise as the shackles on his wrists burst off. He stared at Aladdin in shock, the boy smiling gently at him.

"A promise is a promise," Aladdin said. "But... It'd be great if you could somehow still help the others."

Genie stared a bit more, before crossing his arms and sticking his chin up. "Sorry, but I'm done being ordered around like some puppet." Aladdin stared down sadly, and Sora, Donald and Goofy looked at Genie in slight anger. "_But_..." he continued, opening an eye and glancing down at the boy again, smiling. "I've never done a favor before. I could give that a try."

Aladdin smiled widely at Genie, ruffling his hair. "Thanks a ton, Genie." Genie smiled back before turning to the gang.

"I want you to take this," Genie said, summoning a blue gem and handing it to the Keyblade wielder. "It'll be able to take me wherever you are at the moment, if only for a short time. It'll only work a few times, so don't use it willy-nilly, alright?"

Sora nodded, smiling at his friend. "Yeah, thanks a ton, Genie."

Donald coughed, grabbing the attention of the others. "Anyway, we gotta get going."

They nodded, before Genie flew up to Valerie and smiled gently at the silent girl. "Hey, make sure you get that little rascal back. She kinda grew on me."

She stared back at him before smiling gently, and rising to her feet. She followed her friends, waving at Aladdin and Genie as they did, and slid down the pole out into the streets.

They had made their way to the teleportation spot where they first landed, and had boarded the gummi ship. Almost immediately after they entered, Valerie announced, "I'm kinda tired. I'm gunna go to my room," before heading off.

The three occupants in the console room glanced at each other nervously, but didn't say anything about their friend's disappearance.

"So... are we going to another world?" Sora asked, glancing at his friends from his seat.

Donald furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't think so," he said, punching something into the controls that Sora couldn't put his mind around.

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Donald and Goofy glanced at each other, before looking down nervously. "Well... we just don't think it would best to bring Valerie with us considering the way she's acting."

"Yeah, she barely batted an eye when we were on the carpet, and you know hoe scared she is of heights. She might get hurt if she doesn't pay attention like she had," Goofy added, frowning sadly.

Sora frowned too, tapping his fingers against his leg. "So... back to Traverse Town?" he asked, making them nod.

There was a few minutes of silence, before a tiny mass bounced onto the armrest of Sora's chair. "Gee, guys. Did something happen to Valerie?" Jiminy asked, eyebrows furrowed sadly. "I saw her in the hall, but when I went to talk to her she completely ignored me."

The others looked at him sadly. "We... found her little sister," Sora eventually answered nervously.

Jiminy tilted his head. "Why, shouldn't that be a good thing? And shouldn't she be on the ship?" A look of realization dawned on his face.

"Piper was kidnapped, along with a girl named Jasmine," Goofy said, depressed. "That's why Valerie is so upset right now."

Jiminy nodded. "I see..."

They sat in the console room for almost an hour, telling their little friend about their adventure in the world and being silent as he wrote it down in his journal. Sora had looked up at the clock as his stomach rumbled, and noticed how much time had passed. "Man, Valerie's been in her room for a long time."

"Gwarsh, do you think she's hungry?" Goofy asked.

"Well, I sure am," Donald commented, stopping the ship and falling down from his tall seat. "We haven't eaten for a bit. We were in that world for almost 6 hours." Sora felt his stomach rumble again, and he followed after the duck.

Dinner in the gummi ship was filled with a tense silence. As Goofy cooked, not a word was uttered, and even as they ate, the only sound was the clinking of forks against plates and eating. The gang was really feeling the pain their fellow member was experiencing.

"Sora?" Goofy asked, making the boy look up from his finished plate. "Do you mind bringing this to Val?" The dog held out a plate of food, and Sora nodded, grabbing the plate and standing up to leave.

Sora stood in front of Valerie's door. With a nervous breath, he squared his shoulders, and raised his fist to knock. "Uh... Val? I-I have some food for you."

There was no answer, and he tried again. "Val, you need to eat." Once again, he didn't hear a thing. Sora sighed, and with a softer, albeit serious tone, he said, "Valerie, would Piper want you to starve yourself?"

After he uttered the words, he cringed, realizing that may have not been the best thing to say. "...I'll... just leave it at the door."

As he was about to put the plate down, the door suddenly opened, and he stared in surprise as Valerie stood in front of him. His eyebrows furrowed in sadness as he saw her red rimmed eyes, disheveled, curly hair and blotchy face. She sniffled, rubbing her nose with the sleeve of her sweater. She must have changed.

Oh god, he was not okay with crying girls.

"Hey, Sora," she spoke, her voice croaky and uneven.

Sora coughed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Uh... hey." There was an awkward silence, and he puffed his cheeks, not knowing what to say.

"...Sorry." He looked at the rather quiet girl in surprise.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" he asked, and a sad expression crossed her face.

"...I... I let her down, and I-I'm pushing you guys out..." Tears were collecting in her eyes, and he shifted nervously on his feet.

"H-hey, you didn't do anything. You didn't let her down, and I completely get why you're sad," he said, pursing his lips because he was _not_ good at this. '_Why isn't Goofy doing this?_'

She was looking at him, obviously sensing his discomfort, before the tips of her lips quirked upwards in an attempt at a smile. He blinked, before giving her a large, nervous grin. "I think I'm hungry now," she said, grabbing the plate from his hands.

"... You should come back to the console room," he suggested, and she nodded.

"I think I'll do that."

Valerie followed him up to the console room, and the others stared at her in surprise as she sat down. "Where we heading to?" she asked.

Donald shook his head, and answered, "Back to Traverse Town." She nodded, and went back to eating.

The rest of the fairly short ride was filled with silence, although much more comfortable than before. Since they had already driven most of the way, they made it back to the town in almost 10 minutes.

As they walked through the streets, Valerie broke the silence by asking, "How long are we gunna be here?"

Sora, Donald and Goofy glanced at each other, Valerie walking before them. "Uh... for a bit," Donald said, feeling uncomfortable with telling their friend she was going to be left behind. It made Sora sad. He didn't want his group of friends split apart.

Valerie nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer, but not saying anything.

They arrived at their friend's house, and a look of realization dawned on his face. "Didn't they say they would have another person here the next time we visited?" he asked.

"Oh yeah. Wonder who it'll be?" Goofy wondered curiously.

Donald shrugged. "Only one way to find out." He opened the door.

The gang walked in, smiling at the welcoming from the group inside. Sora noticed the new addition, and the man smiled kindly at him. He had a messy head of ginger hair, and the gentlest blue eyes.

"You must be the Keyblade wielder," he said, Sora nodding at him. The man smiled, holding out his hand. "I'm Jack. It's an honor to meet you, wielder."

Sora grinned back. "It's just Sora."

Jack smiled. "Well, just 'Sora', if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask."

Sora nodded, about to ask one, before he noticed his ginger haired friend had stopped in the doorway. He frowned worriedly, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Val? You okay?" he asked.

Valerie stood there in shock, eyes wide and shoulders shaking as she stared at Jack. Sora noticed the man was in the same state as her, staring at the girl as if she was dead and came back from the grave. He looked between them, as did the rest of the group.

"Valerie...?" Jack whispered, as if he were afraid she would disappear. "Is that really you?"

She continued to shake. "D-dad?"

You could hear a pin drop. The entire room was filled with stunned silence, everyone's gazes looking from one to another.

Then, Valerie ducked her head, her hair acting as a shield for her face. Her hands clenched the hem of the sweater she was wearing tightly. Jack let out a breathless smile, and ruffled his hair. "I-I can't believe you're-"

"No."

Jack stopped, his smile dropping. "What?"

"No," Valerie repeated, glaring at the ground. "I don't want to hear it."

"Vale-"

"No!" she yelled, her voice cracking as she did. "You don't have the right to talk when you left us!"

This time, Jack frowned. "Valerie, I had to. It was my duty, and I couldn't abandon- Gah!"

He stared in shock, hand gently caressing his injured jaw. Valerie was glaring heatedly at him, hands clenching at her sides. Her shoulders were shaking, and tears collected in her eyes. Sora's eyes widened at how much the punch was thrown with malice.

"Well its your _duty_," she hissed the word. "To look after your _family_ and not let them all _**DIE!" **_With those uttered words, Valerie whirled around, and ran out the door, without so much as a glance.

The group watched as the girl left, no one saying a word. Jack sighed, flopping on the bed and ruffling his hair. "I messed up big time, didn't I?" he muttered, scoffing as he did.

* * *

There was only one other time Valerie felt like this. Similarly, it had to do with her dad.

It hit her hard when he left. Her younger self could never comprehend why he had done so. She had thought maybe it had to do with her. Did she do something wrong? Was he angry that she got a bad grade on her art project? Did he not love her anymore?

Her five year-old self had locked herself stubbornly in her room, refusing to come out despite her mother's protests for hours. It was only when her stomach began to gnaw in hunger, had she slipped out.

She sneaked into the kitchen, only to see her mom hunched over the table. She had looked completely lifeless; eyes had lost their shine and her smile was gone.

The sight had made tears run down her cheeks. She sobbed hysterically, and her mom wrapped her in a hug, whispering comforting words in her ear.

She never realized, but now that she remembered, her shoulder had been suspiciously wet.

Lifeless and empty would be a good description of what Valerie felt right now. Her family (because her dad was _not_ her family) was gone, and now so was her only hope. The only thing keeping her going.

A sudden, hesitant knock at her door broke her from her reverie. She glanced up from her knees, and weakly muttered, "Come in."

There was a silence, before the door opened slightly, and Sora peeked his head in, his concerned, blue searching over to her. She pursed her lips, and he gave a nervous chuckle as he stepped. "Uh... hi?" he said, standing in the middle of the room awkwardly.

She glanced back down, fidgeting with the ends of her skirt. "Hi..." she replied, just as awkwardly.

There was an awkward silence, and Sora tapped his leg nervously. "Do, uh... you mind if I sit down?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

She nodded her acceptance, and she felt the mattress dip from his added weight. Once again, there was a silence, and Sora puffed his cheeks out awkwardly. When he glanced over at the girl, his awkward smile faded.

She looked so... dead. Lifeless. Just given up. She looked so different from the fiery, sarcastic girl that had outrageous, usually life-threatening plans to get them out of danger, who he had shared laughs and journeyed with.

Before he had the chance to say anything, Valerie suddenly muttered, "Sora? Am I not allowed to be sad?"

The question surprised Sora, and with wide eyes, shocked, he asked, "Why wouldn't you?"

She hugged her knees tighter. "I mean... we haven't really been traveling for long, but we've already done and seen so many things, and saved so many people. They're victims of the Heartless, and its our job to help and destroy them. We're the heroes, and we need to be smiling and someone you can rely on. We can't be sad; because _we're_ not the victims. We have to be _strong_."

Valerie dug her face into her knees, choking back a sob. "But I don't _feel_ strong."

Like Sora had said before; he wasn't good dealing with crying girls. Back on the islands, when Selphie or Kairi had begun crying -be it from an injury or a mean comment- he would usually make a horrible excuse and let Riku or Wakka deal with it. The few times he had to comfort them, he would make them laugh.

Laughter was always his best comfort. After all, what was the best way to chase away your sadness, then to feel happy? Laughter always creates that bubbly, ball of pure joy in your chest that replaces any negative emotions. A go to way to cheer anyone up. But as he gazes at the crying girl beside him, he knows that laughter isn't going to help. He really needs to be serious this time. He wants to truly comfort her. Show her she was okay and that he understood her.

With a sigh, Sora turns his gaze to the ground, biting the inside of his cheek. "My... my dad died..."

Valerie chokes up, and looks up at the reminiscent expression on his face. Furrowing her eyebrows in empathy, she mutters, "I'm sorry."

Sora shrugged. "It was a while ago. I was maybe five..."

She bit her lip, and after a few seconds of silence, she asked, "What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

He took a deep breath, and his fists clenched the blanket underneath him tightly. "My mom... she was sick. She could barely leave the house. My dad worked a lot, trying to gain money for my mom's medicine. I barely ever saw him, and I had to take care of my mom alone." She was listening with rapt attention, the tears on her cheeks beginning to dry. "Then... my mom was getting better. She would walk around, gardening and she smiled _so_ much." The corners of Sora's mouth tipped upwards in a smile. "Those were the best days. My dad would come home, and we were all so happy, acting like a real family."

His smile faded. "Then, one night... my dad was working late. It was the middle of winter, and even though Destiny Islands was hot most of the year, we usually got some snow during Christmas." He sighed, eyes narrowing at the floor. "It was probably one in the morning when we got the call. The car slipped on ice and he fell in the ditch." He sighed, ruffling his hair. Valerie didn't have the heart to giggle at the sight. "I... I'm not proud of how I acted the days after his death. I shut everyone out, snapping at them and locking myself in my room."

"Why are you telling me this?" Valerie asked quietly, not understanding how it was relevant to her question.

Sora glanced over at her, head turned and spikes bouncing as he did, a small smile on his face, surprising her. "Do you wanna know what helped me be happy again?" Valerie raised an eyebrow at him, curiosity winning over. "It was my mom." He turned back to the ground, another smile on his face. "She was still happy, even though my dad had died. She continued smiling, and was still so kind and caring. Eventually, I started smiling again, and although I was sad, I was happy. Because she was."

He turned back to her again. "So yes. I think you can be sad, because that's normal." A thoughtful expression crossed his expression, before he smiled, and reached forward, pulling on Valerie's cheeks to form an awkward grin, despite her noise of shock and protest, making him chuckle. "I think being strong isn't not being sad, but being sad and continuing to smile until the end!"

Valerie stared back at him, and his happy smile in surprise. Finally, she chuckled, and said, "Since when were you the heart-to-heart person?"

Sora balked at her. "What? I just poured my heart out to comfort you and not even a thank you?" He stuck his chin up with a betrayed expression, although he was grinning. "That's it; friendship over!"

Valerie laughed; bubbly and full of joy. Happy tears came to her eyes, and she whipped at her nose with her sleeve. "_Thank you_, Sora," she snickered, nodding her head towards him with her eyes closed in a playful manner. "You have successfully cheered me up."

He made a fist bump in the air. "Haha! Success!" The air suddenly left his lungs as he was tackled in a hug. He blinked his wide eyes, as Valerie's shoulders shook with contained emotions, digging her face into his shoulder, trying to hide from the world.

"Really, thank you," she whispered, and he pursed his lips awkwardly while face turning red, and she seemed to notice, as she chuckled. "And I don't care if you don't like hugs; you will accept this gift of my gratitude!"

Sora laughed with her, and awkwardly hugged back. "Alright, alright. Just don't hurt me." She laughed again.

Valerie noticed movement in the corner of her eyes, and she pulled back. "Hey, guys," she muttered, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. Donald and Goofy came into the room, and she fidgeted under all the attention on her. "Sorry about how I acted," she muttered, embarrassment in her voice.

The two animals relaxed in relief, smiling as they realized she was in a better mood. "Why, that's quite alright, Val," Goofy chuckled, giving their friend a kind smile. "We understand why you're upset."

"Even if that punch looked kinda scary," Donald muttered, before squawking in pain as Sora stomped on his webbed feet. "I- uh! I mean, I'm glad you're feeling better!"

Valerie chuckled, pursing her lips in embarrassment. "Yeah... I'm gunna have to apologize for that, aren't I?"

"Is he really your dad?" Sora asked curiously.

Valerie nodded, biting her lip. "Yeah... I mean, I don't really hate him, but I guess I just wanted someone to blame..."

"Well, why don't we go see him again, now that you're feeling better?" Goofy suggested, smiling.

She nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

* * *

Valerie bit the inside of her cheek, as she shifted from foot to foot in front of the door. "I dunno if I can do this."

Donald rolled his eyes impatiently. "You've been standing in front of this door for 5 minutes, _you can go in._" She glared at him from the corner of her eye.

"Its okay, Valerie, we'll be there with you!" Goofy said comfortingly, patting the girl on her shoulder. She took a deep breath, smiling at him nervously, and opened the door.

Valerie froze in her place as everyone inside stared at her. She flushed, and awkwardly waved. "Uh... Hi?"

Aerith was the one who recovered the fastest, and she smiled gently at the girl. "Are you feeling better?" she asked, and Valerie nodded.

"Yeah..." she bit her lip, glancing from person to person. "Sorry for how I acted."

"Apology accepted," Leon said, giving a small smile to her. "But I think it was fairly justified."

"Um, speaking of... do you know where he is?" Valerie questioned, her gaze searching around and noticing there was a missing presence.

Cid sniffed, rubbing at his nose. "Last time I checked, he was 'eading to the second district."

Valerie nodded, giving a grateful smile to Cid. "Thanks. I'll head there now."

* * *

Jack sighed for the umpteenth time, ruffling his already disheveled enough hair. '_I'm just a big screw up._' His eyes watered as his mind drifted. _'Megan... Piper...'_

he heard small pit-pats against the ground, and he turned around, eyes widening at the sight of an anxious Valerie, hands playing with the sleeve and strands of her sweater. "Valerie!  
I, uh..."

Her gaze turned to the ground, and she awkwardly pursed her lips. "Uh... hi."

There was an extremely long, drawn out silence, in which both parties didn't know what to say. Eventually, Valerie sighed, and mumbled, "Sorry about punching you."

Jack glanced at her in surprise. Then, he smiled, rubbing at his aching jaw. "Well... you do throw quite the punch," he joked. The corners of Valerie's mouth tipped upwards, and nervously rubbed at her arms. Jack sighed, and gave her a remorseful look. "Valerie, am I forgiven? I know I made a huge mistake, but I want to make up for it. I understand if you still hate me -you have every right to-, and I'll accept any decision of yours."

Valerie made a smile, albeit nervous and slightly wavering, and nodded. "Yeah, I forgive you." Jack sighed in relief, before Valerie waved a finger in his face, making him blink at her as she narrowed her eyes seriously. "But that doesn't mean I completely forgive you. I'm giving you a chance because we're the only ones left." She halted, her eyes drifting to the ground. "It's what mom would have wanted."

Jack nodded, a empathetic expression crossing his face. "I understand completely. Um... if you don't mind..." he held out his arms, a kicked puppy, joking look sent her way. "May I have a hug? I missed out on them for 9 years."

Valerie rolled her eyes, snorting but accepting the hug, wrapping her arms around his torso. She sighed in content, having been longing this forever.

There was a peaceful silence, until suddenly, there was a familiar, startled quack, then hushed whispers of, "Donald! What are you doing?!"

Valerie chuckled, and stepped back, turning around to see a fallen over Donald while Sora and Goofy glared at him from the corner. She raised an eyebrow, leaning forward with her hands on her hips as she accusing teased, "Were you three _spying _on me?"

The three of their head's whipped to her, and Sora began to nervously stutter, "O-of course not! We were just, uh..."

"Gwarsh, we were only making sure you two were okay, a-huck!" Goofy admitted, rubbing the back of his head as he grinned, chuckling.

Valerie laughed with him. "Jeez, not a moment of piece with you three, huh?" she said, making the people in question to cry indignantly.

"Oh yeah!" Sora exclaimed, turning to Valerie. "Aerith wants you back at the house; to check your injuries or something like that."

Valerie nodded, turning to Jack. "Talk later?"

Jack nodded, smiling at her. "Yeah, I look forward to it."

Valerie gave a toothy smile back, and turned to walk away with her friends. Jack watched them go, grinning as he saw Valerie shriek at something Donald had said, smacking his head, and cackling when the duck cried in pain, Sora and Goofy falling in their step from laughing too hard.

Once the four were out of sight, his happy smile faded. A dark, tired look crossed his eyes, and he rubbed his forehead. He narrowed his eyes at nothing, hand instinctively rubbing over the hilt of his sword.

_'Please pass over her. Please just pass another generation and leave her alone.'_

He sighed, and absentmindedly rubbed over a scar on his arm. '_All I can do is hope she's strong enough.'  
_

* * *

**AN: Wow, in all things considering, I got this out pretty early. Sad chapter, I know. I'm so sorry for Sora's backstory. A plot bunny attacked me, and I couldn't let it go. Hope you can forgive me. ;-;**

**Other that that, not much to say. Feedback is appreciated. Oh yeah! If you wanna check out my DevinatArt, its KittyCatKate27, and my tumblr is also... KittyCatKate27... I'm a lonely person, so don't be afraid to reach out! ^^'**

**-Adios!**


	16. Chapter 15: Who Forgot the Breathmint?

**DISCLAIMER: This is getting super unnecessary... *Sigh* I don't own Kingdom Hearts, yada, yada, yada... **

* * *

The next few days seemed a lot brighter for me.

Considering Donald's limp (which I had neglected to notice in my pity-party) and our exhaustion with all of that _stuff,_ we decided to stay in Traverse Town for a few days, after which, Sora, Donald and Goofy reluctantly told me they were going to leave me here, the buggers. They got a deserved smack to the head, for that.

Me and... dad had a few good talks, laughing. Jeez, it would take awhile to get used to that. I was still a little mad at him, but I was trying. He was even training me. As to how _that_ was going...

"Ouch!"

"You need to stay still."

I grumbled, grimacing as Aerith gently jabbed at the bruises and cuts on my arms. "Tell that to dad." I hissed as she applied a bit too much pressure. She smiled at me as she put a bandage around a particular cut.

"I'm sure he's just trying to look out for you," she assured, standing up and tossing her braids back.

I scoffed, standing up with her. "Seems more like he's trying to cripple me."

She chuckled. "I'm sure that's not what he's trying to accomplish. You just need to toughen up a bit," she insisted, packing up her supplies. I rolled my eyes, heading towards the door.

"Yeah, totally what he's trying to do," I drawled sarcastically as I headed out the door. "I'm gunna go see what kind of trouble the three dorks got themselves into."

"Have fun!"

I eventually found the three in Merlin's house. The wizard was helping us, (particularly Sora and I, mainly me) with magic. Sora was trying to shoot down moving furniture with the Keyblade, occasionally with a fireball. Donald and Goofy were sparing on the other side as I walked up.

"You guys training hard?" I questioned as their timer went off. They were breathing heavily, but determination was in their eyes and mind.

"Yeah!" Sora chirped as he grinned, huffing away his bangs. "I think I got this move down-pat!"

"I think I've improved my accuracy and power," Donald piped in, and shaking his flipper. "And I think my leg is better now, too. With that said, though, I think I'm done for the day." Goofy agreed with him and followed the duck as he sat down on a free couch.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turned to see the smirking form of Sora. "Wanna spar?" he challenged, and I took out my sword, smirking with him.

"Oh, you're on!" I exclaimed, bringing my hands up to tie my hair.

He grinned in satisfaction. "I'll just warn you; I've got years of practice and amazing skills to prove it," he boasted arrogantly as he held out his weapon, a competitive look in his eyes.

I halted, but didn't back down. "True. But that means I'll be able to push my limits." That was my goal; I wanted to see how far I've come since the beginning of our journey.

"Ready?" Donald called from the sidelines, and Sora and I nodded our heads. "Go!"

Sora came rushing towards me in a quick burst of speed, and I swiftly moved out of the way. Not halting in his stride, he whirled around, a swing of the Keyblade coming into contact with my sword. I grunted at the impact, before lifting my leg and kicking him in the stomach, effectively pushing him away. I jumped back, keeping an eye on him as he recovered from the hit.

He grinned, before running diagonally away from me. He leaped onto the wall, jumping towards me with a cry. I dived forward, and as he landed with a roll, I went in for a strike to his exposed back. He rolled sideways, but I didn't halt in my onslaught. He lunged up just as I went for a hit, blocking the attack with his sword. I continued in my barrage of attacks, increasingly getting faster and faster as I backed him up, making him grunt with each blow, clenching his teeth. Sweat collected on my forehead, and I was breathing deeply, but I wouldn't let up my attacks.

I had cornered him, and just as I went to take the final blow, he suddenly ducked, diving between my legs. I eeped in both surprise and embarrassment, and suddenly I fell to the ground. I groaned in pain, and let out a huff as the Keyblade was pointed in my face.

"Man, I almost had you this time," I whined. I glared at the hand Sora offered to me as he laughed.

"Close. But you left a huge opening," he chided. I glared once again as I stood up. Grinning, I kicked the legs out from under him, chortling when he yelped as he fell.

_"You left a huge opening,_" I cackled, repeating his own words along with a terrible impression of his boyish voice. He glared halfheartedly at me while he stood, brushing away the dirt on his pants.

"You're getting stronger and stronger every day, Valerie!" Goofy beamed at me, and I smiled back.

"Thanks, Goofy!"

"That's good news. We're gunna head out tomorrow," Donald chimed in as he made his way over to us in quick strides, a grumpy look on his face. "We've stayed in this town too long. Who knows how far away the King is, now? I wanna get a head-start, so we need to get up early." I groaned at the order. Donald smirked at me, adding, "So you should head to bed now."

I grumbled. "Yes, _Donald._"

* * *

"Promise to be safe?" Aerith asked as we stood outside the gummi ship, the whole gang there to see us off.

I smiled at her, trying to hold in my yawn. _Curse you Donald..._ "We'll be fine, Aerith! We'll be back before you notice!"

Sora nodded, also trying not to yawn. "Yeah! And next time, Riku and Kairi will be able to meet you guys!"

"Alright, time to go," Donald grumbled as his head poked out of the door. "Wrap up the goodbyes."

I rolled my eyes at the duck's attitude, but turned to the gang. "See you guys soon."

They nodded "Don't be strangers!" Yuffie proclaimed as she grinned.

"And try not to get into too much trouble?" Leon added stoically, although the corners of his lips were tipping upwards. Sora and I cried out in offense, but we were chuckling as we did so. As they left, we waved them goodbye. Then there was only my dad left.

"I'll leave you guys alone," Sora said as he walked into the ship. He smiled at dad. "It was nice meeting you, Jack."

Dad smiled, nodding at him. "Likewise." Then we were left alone. He turned to me, holding out his arms. I didn't hesitate in accepting the hug, sighing as I rested my forehead on his shoulder. He buried his nose in my hair, and mumbled, "Promise me you'll be safe?"

"I promise, dad," I answered, closing my eyes to try and hold this moment as long as possible. "Next time, Piper will be here with us." I had made it my vow to find whoever had taken Piper from me and get her back. I'm not sure if I ever will find them, but I was determined to.

He pulled back, and I longed for the comfort he gave for a split second. "Don't push yourself," he joked as he ruffled my hair with a grin.

I chuckled, swatting at his hands. "I won't." That was probably a lie. I tended to make up a lot of life threatening plans and ideas, now that I think about it...

"Come back soon," he said as I went to enter the gummi ship, his eyes masking an expression I couldn't pin-point. He seemed lost if he should leave or stay, and it was like something was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't say it.

I hesitated, before smiling at him. "Love you." He stopped with a jolt as he turned around, mouth gaping like a fish, before a large grin split his face, crinkles in his eyes.

"Love you too, Val."

I grinned back, before rushing into the ship, waving my goodbye as Donald was yelling at me to hurry up. I quickly made my way to the console room, flopping down in my seat. "Alrighty! All good to go!"

Thus began another long, silent drive to wherever fate led us. Thankfully, Cid had installed another gummi for the ship so it would run faster, but it was still a pretty long ride. Due to waking up so early, I was still extremely drowsy. Although having my neck crooked in the most awkward of positions wasn't very pleasing, I was too tired to care.

"Val, Val!"

I grumbled, glaring at the form of Sora beside me. His hand was on my shoulder, from where he shook me from my slumber mercilessly, and his gaze was looking out the window, an awed expression on his face. "_What_," I hissed.

"Look!"

I grumbled again, but did as he said, and I as my eyes fell upon the object of his awe, I gasped, and bolted up. "What the hell _is_ that?!"

"It looks like a whale!" Donald observed, trying to steer us away. The... _whale_ cried out, a large, thundering noise that made me clamp my ears as I groaned in pain, the others doing the same. But Goofy must have had it worse.

Eventually, the sound died out, and slowly we tried to recuperate ourselves. Goofy whined in pain, rubbing at his ears. "That's Monstro!" Jiminey exclaimed, and I turned to him, still slightly pained. "He's the king of whales, if I've ever seen one!"

"And, uh... h-he's heading towards us," Sora stuttered, pointing towards Monstro.

"Donald!" I barked in fright, scrambling in my chair as the whale moved closer towards us. "Get us out of here!"

"I'm trying!" Donald yelled back, trying to steer away. "He's too fast!" Monstro had opened its mouth, and it was nearing even closer.

"He's gunna eat us!"

"Brace yourself!"

"AAAHH!"

* * *

"Ungh..."

My fingers twitched, and I groaned in pain. My head was aching terribly, and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. _'Where... where am I?' _Slowly, I tried to open my eyes. I took in the view of the console room in the gummi ship, and I slowly sat up, rubbing at my aching head.  
"Val?" I turned to see Goofy had sat up too, and I also noticed the slumped over forms of Sora and Donald

I began to shake the duck. "Donald? Donald? Get up!" The duck didn't respond, so, grinning, I said, "If you don't wake up I'm driving the gummi ship!"

He jolted up, and began to glare at me. "You'd better not!" Chortling, I tried to get Sora up.

He got us with less difficulty than Donald, thankfully. "Where are we?" he asked, rubbing at his head.

"I... I believe we're inside Monstro," Jiminey said, and I wrinkled my nose.

"Disgusting..."

"Only one way to find out," Sora said as he began to make his way down. I groaned, wrinkling my nose once again, before following him.

"Ugh! This is nasty!" I cried out, poking my feet at the ground, or... whatever it was. I gagged as it made a squishing noise. "Ungh..."

"Out you go!"

I yelped as I was pushed forward, and I bolted up once I landed. "Oh my god, you-! Donald, you jerk!" I flicked my hand, and grimaced at the slime that flew off my hand.

"You had to get out sooner or later," Donald said, shrugging. I scowled at him, and flicked my hand at him, cackling as the slime splotched on his face and he shrieked in disgust.

"Karma!" I told him.

"Who's that?" Goofy questioned, rubbing at his head as he glanced upwards. There was a small figure up there, but I couldn't really tell.

"I dunno," I answered as I stood up, wiping my body clean of the slime.

"Let's go see," Sora said, and we nodded.

"I'll come with you guys," Jiminey said, jumping into my hand, and I raised him up to my hood, the little cricket taking refuge there.

We slowly followed the figure, jumping onto damaged ship parts to avoid falling into the clear liquid that was most definitely Monstro's spit. It required a lot of teamwork, with Goofy occasionally having to catch me when I would almost not make it.

We arrived at a half damaged ship, and my eye's widened in surprise when I saw a little wooden boy, Pinocchio.

We had a little encounter with the boy back in Traverse Town during our week there. He was a friendly little thing, even if a bit deceiving. But I only wanted to know how he got here.

Pinocchio was hugging an older man -Geppetto, I think- , as he was fretted over. "Oh, Pinocchio, I looked all over for you!" Geppetto cried, hugging the boy closer.

"Me too, father!"

It seemed the man noticed we had appeared because he had let go of Pinocchio, giving us a curious look. "Oh, my, it seems this whale has swallowed you too!"

"It appears so," Donald grumbled, tapping his feet. It appeared he wasn't happy with the situation, making me laugh.

"Well, I've been in here for quite awhile," he said, chuckling. "Oh, my, where are my manners? My name is Geppetto -Pinnoch's father. I was stranded here when I was looking for him." He put an arm around the boy, smiling largely at him and gaining one in return. "Thank goodness we're together again."

I smiled at the sight, only for Donald to suddenly ruin the mood as he questioned, "How did you even get here? You were in Traverse Town last time we saw you."

Pinocchio flinched, shifting nervously. He opened his mouth, seemingly about to say something, before he glanced down. "I sneaked onto your ship..." he mumbled, fidgeting with his hands.

"You _what?!_" Donald yelled in fury, glaring heatedly at the boy. Pinocchio flinched, glancing at the duck timidly.

"I only wanted to find father..." he mumbled. I glared at the duck as he went to make an angry retort.

"You know how much you want to find the king? Well, its the same with him, so lighten up," I angrily whispered in his ear. He grumbled, seeing my point, and crossed his arms grumpily, as even Sora glared at him.

"It's okay, Pinocchio. Just maybe you could ask next time, okay?" Goofy offered kindly, making the boy relax in relief.

"O-okay..."

"I'm sorry for any troubles he may have caused you," Geppetto apologized, glancing over at Pinocchio, as the boy glanced down sadly. Donald was about to answer, before I kicked him non-so gently.

"It's okay, he didn't cause any trouble, Geppetto," Sora replied with a smile, and a glare aimed at Donald.

"Well, that's good to hear," the older man said, smiling. "On another note- have you any ideas for getting out of here?"

"Well, we do have our ship, and I'm pretty sure that shouldn't be too hard to get out with," Donald answered, still a little grumpy.

Geppetto beamed. "That's great to hear! Pinocchio, did you hear that? We can get out!" He glanced to the side, only to see Pinocchio had disappeared. Furrowing his eyebrows, he glanced around the area. "Pinocch?" The boy didn't answer, and he repeated a bit more concerned. "Pinocchio?"

I glanced around too, only for Sora to make a noise of confusion. "What is he doing over there?" he asked to himself. We glanced over to where the key-bearer had been looking, and I only just saw Pinocchio disappear into an opening. I shuddered to think where that went.

"Pinocchio!" Geppetto called after him, but the boy didn't react to it at all. "Oh dear, that boy is more trouble than he's worth," he sighed, shaking his head. He turned to the four of us, giving a remorseful look. "I'd hate to ask this of you, but would you mind looking for my son? I wouldn't want him to get hurt."

Surprisingly, it was Donald who agreed. "Sure, we need to figure a way out of here anyway."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Geppetto happily exclaimed, and we began to make our way to wherever Pinocchio went.

* * *

**AN: Sorry this chapter is so short. I realized I was kinda neglecting it since I began a new project, (whoops) so I wanted to get it out as soon as possible.**

**How was Christmas? Or whatever holiday you're celebrating, I hope you enjoyed it. ^^**

**Not much to say. Oh yeah! I'm considering re-writing the earlier chapter because they were bad. What do you guys think?**

**Until next time!**

**-Adios!**


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